Le Coeur a ses Raisons
by samurai-ashes
Summary: [eventual KaibaxJoey] After 15 years Kaiba returns to Domino and finds himself facing everything he left behind. [ complete ]
1. Prologue

**_am I the samurai god of your universe? nope. so therefore I do not own yu-gi-oh. I don't know how the two are related._**

* * *

**given FF.net's new policy on AN's as a seperate chapter, the pre-story author's notes were deleted. however, I still think they're important, so if you would like to read them, they can be found here:  
http : // www. geocities. com / enjoythehiatus / stories / le / an.html  
only remove the spaces. of course. ^^;;**

* * *

**Prologue**

He was back in Domino. 

How long ago had he left? 10 years? Longer? Yes, it had been longer: 14 or 15 years. Time was inconsequential. The point was that he had left long ago, and now he was back, looking at the home that had once been his without any real feeling, as though it wasn't a place of his memories. Like he had never lived there, like it was just another place to sleep. In retrospect, it was. Homes had never been anything meaningful for Kaiba. Where most homes were decorated and had a sense of warmth, his was remote and emotionless as he was. When he moved away it hadn't been a great trial, hadn't broken his heart, and similarly there was no nostalgia in returning, no feeling of home or comfort. In fact, he felt worse for returning because he was returning alone; there was nothing for him in Domino. The only thing in this city was his company… and he wasn't even sure if he was really willing to return for it. 

31 years old and alone in a city he all but owned. How depressing. 

Kaiba unlocked the double front doors, pushing them open with ease. Everything was draped in plastic, preserved for the day that no one had ever expected, the day that the Kaiba brothers would return. Kaiba had never intended to come back, let alone without Mokuba. It was sort of anticlimactic; his return was unmarked, unnoticed… and as much as Kaiba hated the attention, maybe he would have felt a little better if he had a chance to show the world that he wasn't old yet, that he still had his old fire. 

He did. Somewhere. 

He walked through the house, watching the floating particles of dust that caught the rays of light filtering through the dirty windows; they danced through the air majestically before settling back onto something solid. How could a place he once lived - had once kept immaculate - be so filthy now? It felt like a haunted house from a bad movie, and Kaiba half-expected someone in a sheet to come out and yell "boo!" 

Mokuba had done that once, a Halloween forever ago… 

_"Big brother, did I scare you?" _

Kaiba smiled down at his little brother and ruffled his hair. "Of course you did." 

He would have to call in a cleaning crew. It would take forever to clean, and the house would probably keep that old warehouse smell for months. Kaiba could handle that; he didn't expect to stay often. He went into his old office, still furnished, right down the old computer. Obsolete computer. He needed to get that replaced as soon as possible. He went to the desk, sat in the old chair despite the dust; the pencils and paper were where he had left them, organized in the second drawer from the bottom on the left side. Retrieving one of each item, he began to make a list: 

**New household employees **

Sheets? 

Food 

Cleaners 

New computer 

Call phone company, get phones running 

Kaiba checked the drawer above the pencil-and-paper drawer. 

**More envelopes & stamps**

That was all he could think of. He folded the paper and put it into one of his inner jacket pocket, near his wallet. He sneezed again; the sound echoed ominously, reminding him that he was very much alone in his home. He sighed. He wished he could hear Mokuba chattering, or just walking; he would have welcome the incessant blaring techno that had characterized Mokuba's late teens. All he got was silence, so thick that it threatened to swallow him whole, drag him down into its nothingness. He took out that paper again, and quickly added '**music**' to the list. 

He left the house, strolling to his car. He didn't bother locking the house behind him. If no one had tried to rob it in a decade - unprotected as it had been - then he wasn't going to worry about it for a couple of hours. It wasn't like there was anything in the house that was irreplaceable. He drove with the radio playing quietly, just enough to remind him that there was a world, and that he was in. As he drove he saw places that he remembered; some had meaning, some didn't. It was frightening how some things in Domino hadn't changed… and yet so much had. There were still droves of people walking the streets, laughing and waving to each other. There were still carts of weary-looking merchants, and still children running rampant and loose. There were still people who looked less-than-savory, still homeless huddled in groups, hiding in alleys. There were still the usual decorations of autumn screaming at him from the windows, reminding him that Thanksgiving was just a month away, that he should be thankful… for what, he wasn't quite sure. 

And there was still his corporation, its building jutting up into the sky, standing out among all the other lesser building, beckoning him closer, welcoming him "home." Kaiba remembered the way, remembered which streets to avoid in midday and which were nearly deserted. Remembered his pass code to get through security - not that he needed it; from what he had heard the whole company was expecting him back - and he remembered exactly how to get to his office. As he walked through the halls employees gawked and murmured, like peasants looking upon their king, or a god… their reactions made Kaiba smirk. In a way he was their god; he decided who stayed and who went. It all felt so familiar, so easy, but… he couldn't put the same simple-mindedness into it, the same blind devotion that he had when he started. Maybe it was just old age creeping up on him. 

Not that 31 was old. 

"Welcome back, sir," a woman said. She was smiling at him, greying brown hair pulled back from her face. She looked familiar… ah. His secretary. She looked older, but that didn't surprise him; she was old enough to be his mother. 

"You're still here," he said monotonously. They weren't close… but at the same time, there had been a sort of understanding. He liked her diligence, if nothing else; no one got past her if she didn't let them, and she knew exactly who could see him and who couldn't. She knew what he would need and when he would need it. She did her job well, and Kaiba respected a job well done. 

She nodded. "Still here. It's a good job." 

"How have things been around here?" Who better to get a report from? The higher-ups in the company could lie about anything; his secretary would be honest, if for no other reason than no one had told her not to be. 

"Well, there's rumors-" 

"I'm not asking for idle gossip," he said harshly. She didn't look hurt. Even after so long she was still impervious to him at his worst. 

"Of course. As far as I know there's been no problems. There was an embezzlement issue last year-" 

"I heard." 

"-and we've had an unusual number people quit in the past two months, but other than that things have been just fine." 

He hadn't been lied to. "Good. Is my office ready?" 

"Yes sir, whenever you are." 

"Good. I don't want to be disturbed." He left her, going to his office. Another pass code that he still remembered. Another room that was from his past that had no real feeling for him other than the smallest twinge of pride. He had been at his strongest in this room, gone up against foes that seemed greater than the gods… 

This room was new: newly furnished, newly painted, newly decorated. Yet new as it was the room seemed alive with his old power, his old arrogance. He liked it. He had missed this place… a little; his distant home office had been nothing compared to this. Kaiba spared a small smile. 

He felt 16 again. 

He felt like he could take on the world. 

Seto Kaiba sat down at his desk and began to work. 

**- end prologue -**

* * *

**- author thinks... -**  
RUN! 

Haha. Believe it or not, I'm going somewhere with this. It moves sort of slow though. I think the main part of this was to make clear this idea I have; that even Kaiba has the potiential to sort of even out, especially after the passage of time. 

I actually severly question whether or not I should be posting this. As I mentioned in my big notes in the beginning, I'm sort of going in blind, with a vague idea of how certain parts are going to be... its a very awkward situation for me, and it makes me nervous... but I will finish it; rise to my own challenge, you know? Right, off the soap-box. 

Anyway, hope you weren't too bored. 


	2. Chapter One

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh. this is non-profit, for fun, and all that jazz._**

* * *

**Chapter One**

Kaiba didn't leave Kaiba Corp. until late the next morning; there had been plenty to do, and he preferred to work than to return to a deserted, dusty house. Yesterday evening he had called cleaners; they promised to have the house done by the upcoming afternoon. Amazing… The pains that people would go through just to please him. He would check up on the cleaners sometime around noon. He hoped they took longer than planned; then he would have a reason to snap at someone, to act like his old self. People would be assured that he hadn't gone soft. He didn't need them thinking that. He didn't really need to be thinking it either. 

He began interviews for new Kaiba Corp. employees that afternoon; he had contacted all the appropriate people to spread the news that he was hiring. His secretary had booked some neutral place for that: a glorified warehouse or something. He wasn't looking forward to the task. The word may have just gotten out that he was hiring again, but he knew how it would go: droves of people, all lined up, pleading for work. Most of them would be idiots, or inexperienced, or simply irritating. Perhaps there would be someone mentally-unbalanced enough to try to kill him; it had happened once. At the time he had guards; now he was more vulnerable… and much less concerned. 

He was driving aimlessly, heading nowhere. Perhaps he could go for a walk. The cool air could help clear his head… or it would at least save gas. The day was overcast; the clouds were all but threatening to pour snow down onto the expectant city. He parked his car along the side of the street - sort of nice, in a disturbing way, how well his car fit in among all the other cars parked there. Even more disturbing was how he appeared to be just another shopper as he strolled, lost in the endless sea of faces. No one seemed to recognize him, paid him no special attention, but Kaiba didn't really mind. Maybe if he donned one of his trademark flaring trench coats and pinned the Kaiba Corp. logo to his lapel people would notice that he had returned. They had certainly marked his departure; he remembered the magazine articles that his higher-ups in Kaiba Corp. mailed to him after he moved - "Where Has Seto Kaiba Gone?", "Is Kaiba Corp.'s reign in Domino coming to an end?", and many other headlines. 

Kaiba soon found himself turning into the gateway of the city park, walking along the leaf-covered paths and watching people with minimal interest. Children ran and yelled, laughed and cried; mothers chased them, yelling or laughing - sometimes both. The din was louder near the playground equipment, quieter near the park benches. To Kaiba's surprise a few people stared at him as though they were trying to recognize his face. He didn't smile at them or give them any acknowledgement, but he was amused that people seemed unable to place him. Did he seem like a stranger to this place? 

A man walked past him, mumbling to himself: a short man pushing a stroller. Kaiba paused and looked over his shoulder. Even from the back he knew who it was, and he took on his old arrogant smile - not by reflex, but by choice. "Yugi," he said, turning to face him. Yugi paused, and then turned to look at him. For a second he looked confused, and then his face lit up in recognition. 

"Kaiba!" Yugi walked towards him, smiling. "You're back." 

"There was work to be done." Kaiba examined Yugi. He hadn't grown much taller; he wasn't more than 5'1" or 5'2". His hair was still spiked and tri-colored, but he finally looked older, more defined; he didn't resemble a child anymore. He had a badly crocheted scarf wound around his neck, and he was wearing jeans with a winter jacket. Sneakers. No leather. Kaiba didn't even see the puzzle. Maybe it was Yugi's day at the dry cleaners… or perhaps his clothing style had changed in over a decade. Either option was plausible. 

"Welcome back. I almost didn't recognize you! But you don't look much different… I guess it's the jacket." Kaiba looked down at the jacket he was wearing; a simple waist-length black coat, barely thick enough to keep him from shivering. Underneath he was wearing simple clothes, slacks and a turtleneck. His clothing style was one thing that hadn't changed much, and he still had the trench coats. 

Kaiba shrugged. "I recognized you. You still look like a child." Kaiba knew he was exaggerating - lying even - but making such jabs at Yugi reminded him of the past. He meant it as a welcome; it meant more for him to mock Yugi than any "hello" or "I missed you" could. But speaking of child… Kaiba's eyes were drawn to the stroller. There was a toddler sleeping in it, whole body slumped against one side. The little boy was bundled up in a thick jacket, blue winter hat covering the important parts of his head and his ears. There was the slightest trail of drool from the corner of the kid's mouth, and in his right hand he clutched a small stuffed animal. Sort of cute, really… Kaiba had a small soft spot for kids. "Congratulations," he said, indicating the child with a slight nod of his head. 

"Thanks, but he's not mine." 

"I see." 

The silence didn't last long before Yugi asked, "So what are your plans today? Maybe we could get everyone together… for old time's sake." 

"If we do anything for old time's sake, it would begin and end unhappily, and be life-threatening in the middle." 

"For new times sake, then," Yugi countered with a smile. Even after so many years he was still strangely cheerful about everything, still seemed naïve. How could he be like that at 30? 

"Thanks," Kaiba said without sounding the least bit grateful, "but I have things to do today. I start interviewing employees today." 

"Oh," Yugi said, leaning a little against the stroller; it tipped back the slightest bit, but the child asleep within it didn't stir. "What sort of jobs are you hiring for?" 

Kaiba looked at Yugi skeptically. "Do you need work?" Maybe that explained the absence of Yugi's usual wardrobe. 

"Oh, no! I run the game shop now, but I know some people who might be interested." 

The game shop. How fitting for Yugi. "I didn't think your stubborn goat of a grandfather would give up his shop." 

Yugi looked down, biting his lip. "He died a while ago." Oh. For a moment Yugi looked weary. 

"Sorry," Kaiba said quickly. His remorse for Yugi's loss wasn't apparent, but he did feel bad, even if he couldn't relate. He changed the subject - it was the best condolence he knew. "I'm hiring for everything. Driver, cleaners, advisors, guards, workers at the corporation… I think my lawyer quit too. I guess I'll need a new one." 

"I know a lawyer," Yugi said brightly, and in a moment he was his old self again. "He might be interested." 

"Oh?" Kaiba asked. 

"Yea. He probably wouldn't say no to some work, especially if it's challenging." 

"What does he do now?" Normally Kaiba might have ignored anyone recommended by Yugi, but he wasn't adverse to a worker who liked challenges; he'd dealt with more than enough workers who preferred to get paid for doing nothing. Besides, time had passed; maybe Yugi had better judgment in people. 

"He's sort of between jobs." 

"Hm." Maybe Yugi hadn't gotten wiser about people. Regardless, he dug into his jacket pocket, taking out the list he had written the day before. Somewhere in another pocket he found a pen. He tore off a scrap of paper and wrote the address of the building there he was holding interviews. "Send him there around 3 o'clock; I'll save my opinions until then." 

"Awesome," Yugi said, shoving the scrap into his pocket. The kid whined in his sleep, fidgeting and leaning to the other side. "Well, I'd better get him home. It was nice seeing you again Kaiba. We should go out and do something, catch up on life. A lot's changed." 

"Hmph." That translated roughly to a 'maybe.' Yugi smiled and turned to walk away. Kaiba considered a lengthier farewell, but thought better of it in the end. He simply watched as his rival walked away - no longer his rival, really. Did Yugi still play Duel Monsters? It wasn't important in either case. 

He looked down at his watch. It was nearing noon. He mentally scolded himself - he had things to do other than meandering through the park aimlessly. It was odd enough that he had chosen to in the first place. 

--

The glorified warehouse turned out to be much better than Kaiba expected; it had tiled floors, painted walls, and even heating. Kaiba had certainly conducted interviews in worse places. Still he sat in his chair with a feeling of contempt. He had seen a few good workers, but it was mostly idiots, just as he had expected. Of the lawyers only one or two showed promise; it was mostly ambulance chasers looking for a fatter paycheck. Idiots. He wondered which one had been sent by Yugi but hadn't asked. He wasn't going to let anyone know that he had expectations. 

He was flipping through papers as another person came though the divider that was serving to block Kaiba off from the throng of people outside. A business card was slipped onto his desk, but he didn't look up. Nice hands - clean hands. That was a good sign. Kaiba liked to get his first impressions of people from how they cared for their hands. A cell phone rang - not Kaiba's. 

"Damn," the man said. "Could you excuse me for a moment?" The man turned his back and answered his phone. Hm, answering a cell phone at an interview. Bad manners - strike one. Just when Kaiba had started to think this one would be better than the rest, too. He couldn't hear the man's words, only the low mumble of his voice, sharper at times, then gentler. Kaiba took that time to examine the man from behind. Dressed nicely. Tall. Hair was neat: blond hair, fairly long for a lawyer… maybe he was some sort of hippy-activist gone lawyer? Kaiba didn't need an activist; he wasn't out to legalize pot or save the whales. On the plus side, the man held himself well. He didn't fidget, and he stood straight. The business card was a nice touch. Kaiba took a sip of his coffee before picking it up and reading it… He choked on the coffee upon reading the inscribed words. 

'**Joseph Wheeler.**' It said something else, but Kaiba's focus was on those two words, that name. Wheeler's name on a business card… The pieces fell into place almost immediately. Wheeler was Yugi's lawyer friend. Kaiba blinked. 

Wheeler was a lawyer? 

Wheeler turned around, cell phone slipped into his pocket. "Sorry about that, there were some problems-" he stopped suddenly, staring at Kaiba. Kaiba stared back, hoping his surprise wasn't obvious. He was vacillating between shock and old feelings of hatred. Wheeler had aged gracefully; it was probably the only thing he COULD do with any semblance of grace. But a lawyer…! Kaiba knew that in high school Wheeler's grades had to have been the worst. What would possess him to become a lawyer? 

Wheeler was clearly as surprised as Kaiba; that came a small consolation. "Have a seat," Kaiba said neutrally. What had Yugi been thinking? He knew that the two had never gotten along… Still, as long as the blond was there Kaiba wouldn't waste time; he never wasted time. 

Maybe he would get a laugh out of it. 

**- end chapter one -**

* * *

**- author thinks... -**  
Whew. I actually probably could have had this up three or four days ago, but I was sort of lazy, and more than nervous, so I never got around to typing it up. 

"What," you may say, "Joey, a lawyer? Impossible! Inconcievable! It's got to be against all the laws of ... everything!" To which I would probably stick out my tongue and say, "Shoosh and think about it." 

You see, I don't think Joey is dumb at all; actually, I think very highly of him. And whilst I was sitting around on that lovely (or maybe it was dreary?) morning of November 22nd and heard that lawyer-guy (Johnson?) call Joey 'Joseph Wheeler', my mind went "Oh!" That business card (and Kaiba nearly choking on coffee upon seeing it) was the mental image that got me thinking about writing this story. The original idea was something much more smutty but I got to thinking -- as I tend to do despite what some of you think, lol -- and I thought "Wait, why the hell would Kaiba EVER hire Joey?" But I sat at the computer that afternoon... and I wrote the prologue; it started to slip into place for me, to some extent. I mean, 15 years is a long time... as everyone in this story keeps repeating, haha. 

Anyway, where I was starting with that paragraph, despite Joey's... erm, random "special" moments, I think he's much more intelligent than he acts, and I think he'd be capable of being a lawyer so long as he wanted to and put his mind to it. 

As for the name "Wheeler" and why it's being used instead of "Joey": the way I see it, Kaiba probably wouldn't be thinking of Joey on a first-name basis, at least not right away. Basically trying to make a point of the POV, and that it's still all coming from Kaiba's eyes. 

And, since Yugi happens to be here, I thought I'd ask myself a question... _Where the hell is Yami?_ And you know, I have not the damnedest clue. -_-;; Logic says that after 15 years, he would have, um, moved on. The guy is dead, technically, right? The more romantic part of me wants to say he's still in Yugi's mind, right where he belongs, lol. So I don't know who's going to win out: romance or logic. 

Another one of those "since it was mentioned for all of two seconds" things, I was thinking that Kaiba would be a kid sort of person, if for no other reason than nostalgia, considering that Mokuba is all grown up. On top of that, he's an adult now, and it seems logical that he might be noticing the absense of family, and that might make him inclined to like other people's kids. 

* * *

**..:: responses to reviewers ::..  
** (just to prove I really read them, haha) 

nenya85: we meet again, lol. ...right, I think I'm funny. anyway, glad you thought it worked. ^_^ actually, the amusing thing about writing midlife crisis is that I wouldn't know much about it, seeing as I haven't reached midlife yet, lol. and Mokuba's whereabouts come into play later.   
arrowsphere, kaneda-shotaro..., & Johnny-Depp-luv: thankies.  
malvolio1342: seems like you're not too fond of Mokuba... *coughs* thanks for the well-wishing. :)  
bladegryphon: goin' blind is a scary thing. x.x thanks to you too. :)  



	3. Chapter Two

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh. nope. nada._**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

A week passed. Kaiba managed to fill every position except the one for lawyer. He checked applications again and again, watched security tapes of the interviews, did employment checks, everything in his power to have a professional knowledge of the applicants. Yet no matter how deeply he probed it always turned out that Wheeler was the most qualified for the job. He didn't have any major felonies after age 18, had experience, and seemed to have at least a rudimentary knowledge of business. Of course, it worked to Wheeler's favor that most of the other applicants were either blithering idiots or had some other major problem - felonies, bad employment, background not checking out… It must have been the day that all other competent lawyers had gone on vacation. Or perhaps Kaiba's reputation with lawyers still stood firm; in all his years with Kaiba Corp. he had been through at least a dozen. 

Damn, of all the desperate lawyers looking for a job, why did life mock him and make Wheeler the best of them? The personal side of him wanted to pretend that he hadn't seen Wheeler, to mark the whole interview off as a waste of his time. The business side of him knew that out of the men he had at his fingertips, Wheeler was the one who could do the job best. When it came right down to it, who was he to risk his business because of a personal vendetta? He had put it aside for the entire interview - as had Wheeler. Maybe there was a chance that they could work together with mutual distaste. 

But the personal side of him was obstinate and demanded a second interview; one to see how well Wheeler would really act under pressure of Kaiba on a bad day. He set out for Wheeler's place late in the evening, using the address on his job application. 'Home' for Wheeler turned out to be an apartment building - it seemed decent enough. At least Kaiba didn't feel contaminated entering it, and the elevator didn't smell ungodly. The hallways were clean and it wasn't too loud; there was just enough noise coming through walls and closed doors to indicate that there were families living in the building. 

He reached the door; fourth floor, left side of the hall, sixth door down. Otherwise known as A-406. He knocked. There was a crash within, followed by a curse and yell: "Just a minute!" Kaiba looked at his watch, counted the seconds. Ten seconds. More swearing. Twenty seconds. Hurried footsteps. Thirty seconds. The door opened. Wheeler was soaked from head to toe, chest bare and panting. "Yea…? Oh." Wheeler stood a little taller, his expression hardened. "Do you need something?" 

"I'm doing a second interview," Kaiba said brusquely. 

"Uh, I'm a little busy…" Wheeler trailed off as a squeal filled the air, followed by a wet naked toddler running out the door and down the hall. "Damn it! Alex!" Wheeler pushed Kaiba out of the way and chased the boy down the hall, catching him just short of the elevator. He held the kid up over his shoulders, laughing. Kaiba stared, shocked to realized that he knew that kid, recognized the face, the build... He was the little boy Yugi had in the park, the one who had been asleep in the stroller. If Yugi had been babysitting… the kid was Wheeler's? That seemed inconceivable. Wheeler was capable of raising a kid? 

Then again, he wouldn't have thought that Wheeler could become a capable lawyer either. The blond was full of surprises nowadays. 

Wheeler was still laughing, passing Kaiba. "Fine. Come in; sit down. Just give me a minute to finish his bath." Wheeler was tickling the kid, eliciting shrieking laughs from the toddler… Alex? Kaiba entered, closing the door behind him and sitting in a chair, watching as Wheeler disappeared into the open bathroom door, closing it behind him, still chuckling to himself. 

Kaiba examined the apartment while he waited. It was one of the homes that Kaiba thought was in completely opposition to his, the sort that showed that there was real life held within the walls. There was an armchair and a love seat, both facing a coffee table. The coffee table was littered with books - textbooks? - and magazines, toys, as well as plates and empty soda cans. There were more toys on the floor, and Cheerios, both crushed and whole. There was a TV on what looked like a child's desk. The wall across from Kaiba had two doors: one that led to the bathroom, and one that was open enough to reveal a small bedroom. To Kaiba's left there was a kitchenette, with a narrow waist-high partition separating it from everything else. Kaiba didn't see a table, but there were dishes in the sink, and a pot on the stove. The walls were decorated with pinned-up pictures of Wheeler's friends and family; Kaiba recognized the little boy, and Wheeler's sister… he couldn't remember her name, though. There was a framed picture on top of the TV: a wedding party. Wheeler was standing beside Yugi, proud smile on his face. In fact, Yugi's usual group of friends was in the picture and then some… Oh. Yugi was the one getting married. He recognized the bride, the brunette one that never seemed to leave Yugi's side… another name he never bothered to remember. So they had gotten married? Interesting; Kaiba had never imagined Yugi getting married, let alone to one of his friends. He would have to see if he could find any old news articles on that. 

Kaiba watched as Wheeler switched rooms, crossed from the bathroom to the bedroom. Finally Wheeler returned, dressed in dry clothes, pajama-clad kid slung over his shoulder. Kaiba studied the kid a little closer. Now that he got a good look at him, Kaiba didn't know why he didn't see it before. He wasn't a clone of Wheeler, but there was a definite resemblance: similar mop of hair - darker than Wheeler's, nearly brown - and the same brown eyes. "Sorry," Wheeler said sheepishly, setting the kid down in front of some toys and dropping onto the couch. "If I'd been expecting…" 

Kaiba cut in, "I wanted to do this impromptu." A part of him wanted to see Wheeler break under the pressure. And another part wanted to see him rise to the challenge in Kaiba's voice. And then there was the third part, which was telling him that being in Wheeler's apartment was a waste of his time and that he would be much better off hiring someone incompetent, firing them in a month, and then hiring again - eventually someone worthy would turn up. 

Part two won; Wheeler straightened up. His disposition changed, and Kaiba knew immediately that he was all business. "Well?" 

Kaiba nodded towards the boy. "Where is his mother?" 

"That's a personal question; it shouldn't have anything to do with business." 

Good answer. "I already know enough about you as a lawyer. I'm here to see about you as a person." 

"Then this isn't an interview; my personal life should have nothing to do with work." 

"Rules are different for some of us." 

Wheeler shook his head. "They shouldn't be. If that's all you have to say, you can leave." 

Kaiba chucked humorlessly. "Good. You aren't as easily goaded as you used to be." 

Wheeler didn't show any emotion. "Do you have any real business here, Mr. Kaiba?" 

Mister? Hmm, how formal. It was hard to believe that it was the same Wheeler from high school, that Wheeler used to call him many other, less pleasant things. Kaiba wasn't easily impressed, but at the moment he was seriously considering it… 

Apparently a lot had changed in 15 years. 

He could work with someone who didn't like him. In fact, he did so on a regular basis - he knew half of his employees couldn't stand him. It was something of a challenge. Kaiba liked challenges. He held out a hand, and Wheeler stared at it as though it was infected. "You have the job," Kaiba said smoothly, "if you're still interested." 

"I didn't know it was you when Yugi gave me the address," Wheeler said. It was the first time that Wheeler had acknowledged their old hatred; the fire was in his eyes, like he was daring Kaiba to do something. Kaiba, surprisingly, didn't take the bait. 

"And I didn't know it was you that Yugi was telling me about. But out of my applicants you're best suited for this job. Take it or leave it." 

Wheeler seemed to be indecisive for a moment, glancing from Kaiba's hand to his son on the floor, who was busily building up blocks and making incoherent noises. Then, a little jerkily, Wheeler took his hand. "Fine." 

"Welcome to Kaiba Corporation." Of all the things he had never expected to say to Wheeler… "Do you mind if I ask you some questions that aren't related to the job?" 

Wheeler glared for a second… then softened, leaning back into the loveseat and shrugging. "Whatever." 

Kaiba pointed towards the boy on the floor. "Is he yours?" 

"Yea. Alex; he's almost 3." Killing two questions with one answer, and before Kaiba got around to asking - Wheeler must have learned how to use his brain in 15 years. Took him long enough. 

"Where's his mother?" he asked again. 

Wheeler's expression darkened for a moment. "I'm not sure. You know how it goes…" 

"Actually I wouldn't." 

"Well, something like this: meet a nice girl at a trial one day, start dating, propose, only to find out that she isn't interested in a real relationship. She goes to live with her parents. Next thing you know you've got full custody because she doesn't want a kid, wants to develop her career instead." 

Kaiba didn't ask him to elaborate, instead staring at the little boy on the floor. Wheeler had a son. Kaiba knew that Wheeler was going to have a hell of a time both working and raising a kid; Kaiba had done it once. He had learned quickly that Kaiba Corp. was a demanding mistress, even for the most miniscule workers. "How do you intend to work and keep track of him?" 

"Yugi helps a lot. So does Serenity, and there's a woman down the hall who watches him when no one else can. But you know, when it comes right down to it, he's more important than any job." 

That didn't exactly sound good for Wheeler's job, but Kaiba almost smiled - almost. He remembered times when he was willing to forgo anything and risk everything for Mokuba. Shame that all good things had to come to an end. There was silence between them. Wheeler cleared his throat. "I saw Mokuba on the news last night." Speak of the devil. 

Kaiba had watched it in his office. "Yea." 

"It's great, him working with kids like that. Where was it?" 

"China. Orphans in China." 

"Must be proud of him, doin' something noble like that." 

Kaiba nodded. "Very noble." _Very far away_. 

"When I was 26 I wasn't doing anything so meaningful." 

Kaiba saw the opportunity to change the topic and seized it; he didn't want to talk about Mokuba. That was something personal, and he was more interested in learning more about Wheeler's personal life, not divulging information about his own. "You were becoming a lawyer." 

"Yea…" 

Now that the topic was up in the air… "How'd you come to that conclusion?" 

"Sometime during my senior year; it just sort of hit me that I might like it. I was originally going to be a divorce lawyer, but… a lot of bad memories attached to that." Wheeler stared off into space for a moment before he shook his head and continued, "Decided I couldn't watch people break up their families like that. Moved into business-y stuff…" 

'Business-y.' How official. Kaiba was starting to see more and more of the Wheeler he once knew - the mutt - coming out as Wheeler talked, but… it was subdued, grown-up. Odd. Wheeler kept talking about being lawyer, and Kaiba half-listened and was half-lost in his own thoughts. He was going to work with Wheeler. He was going to entrust his legal affairs to Wheeler. The more he thought about it, the queasier it made him. Part of him remembered the many times he'd seen Wheeler make an ass of himself… many, many times. Maybe it was some sort of bad omen that the blond was his best applicant. Good thing that Kaiba didn't believe in omens. 

In the middle of the Wheeler's talking the toddler wandered over and pulled at his arm, whining wordlessly. Wheeler looked down and he whined again, eyes widened with his plea. Wheeler smiled and held up one finger. "Just a moment, Alex." 

"He's quiet." 

Wheeler shrugged and smiled affectionately at his son, ruffling his hair. Alex's pout almost instantly changed to a smile. "He doesn't talk much around strangers. Just a minute; he's hungry." 

Kaiba watched at Wheeler picked Alex up and carried him into the kitchen, setting the boy on the counter as he opened the fridge. Kaiba watched as Wheeler held up several items; each time Alex shook his head and punctuated his distaste with a firm, "No." Kaiba smiled to himself, just for a moment - he remembered that phase all too well from childhood. Finally Wheeler asked exasperatedly, "Well, what do ya want?" 

"Cheerios!" 

Wheeler rolled his eyes. "I'll get a bowl." 

"No." Alex settled on a taking the entire box of Cheerios and going back to playing on the floor. Wheeler returned to his spot on the couch. Kaiba made sure that he wasn't smiling. 

"You know," Wheeler said thoughtfully, "it's odd, just sittin' here talking - you know, really talking, not yelling. The years really mellowed you out, huh?" 

Kaiba shrugged. "Maybe. I guess one can't keep that adolescent spark alive forever." 

The blond nodded in agreement. "Eh, who would want to? You're not so bad; so far I've only wanted to hit you twice." 

Kaiba wasn't sure how to respond to that. He didn't want people think he was losing his edge, but he knew that he wasn't like he had been before he left. If he was going to work with Wheeler he would have to accept that the blond would learn that. 

Wheeler cleared his throat. "So, when do you want me to start working?" 

"First thing tomorrow. We're work up some sort of schedule then, but sometimes you're going to deal with some odd hours," Kaiba warned. 

Wheeler nodded. "Okay." 

"8 o'clock, my office." His voice was harsher, more boss-like, and Wheeler was slipping back into all-business mode. Strange… hadn't they been talking like humans 10 seconds ago? Kaiba liked the change; talking like they were acquaintances was a little unnerving, and definitely unfamiliar territory. Besides, he was starting to like the idea of Wheeler working for him… he had always wanted a reason to tell Wheeler what to do. 

"Okay," Wheeler said. "Tomorrow morning." 

Kaiba stood. "Goodnight, Wheeler." 

"Have a good one." 

Kaiba left. 

Kaiba left, and found himself wondering if his brain had stopped functioning when he wanted into that apartment building. He had gone to Wheeler's apartment hoping to find a reason not to hire him. Instead he came out with a new employee. 

**- end chapter two-**

* * *

**notes**  
"Okay," you could say now, "what the hell? Joey has a kid...?" Then you might roll your eyes and brace yourself for disgustingly fluffy domestic situations.  
To which I say, "Hey, seems logical; the guy is a bit of a porno-creep. And stop that eye-rolling thing; we're not setting ANYONE up for domestic daddy-type stuff fluff." (not that it wouldn't be cute...) 

I think I'm enjoying starting these notes off with hypothetical dialogue. XD Anyway, thanks goes to Nyoko, who read over this while it was still in the editing phase. ^^ 

Actually, the idea of Joey having a son was originally for another story; it was a highly AU KaibaxJoey story (I've sort of been in the mood for that lately, haha) that never got past that concept of Joey having some girlfriend shipped off to live with her grandparents and raise his kid. The original idea was that Kaiba was somewhat disgusted that Joey would leave a child without a father... but that's a tangent, lol. Anyway, so while I was writing this and developing the 'what has happened in 15 years?' train of thought, it occurred to me as something that could have very easily happened. The kid actually underwent a lot of change, but that's sort of dull. ^_^ Generally I don't like OCs, so I'm hoping to kid isn't to intrusive. I actually fought with myself whether or not to keep the Cheerio scene in there, and in the end decided it could stay. Hopefully it's not bad... 

On the law(yer) thing... yea, this story has caused me the major physical pain of having to tear apart our storage closet to find said books. So can we call this a labor of love? XD 

As far as Kaiba hiring Joey... well, I've sort of tried to show that they've all mellowed out to some extent (I keep repeating this... hmm, I should quit that), and I can't see Kaiba simply ignoring good canidates just because he didn't like him when they were teenagers. It doesn't make sense, ya know? But I could seem him trying his damnedest to somehow proofing Joey wasn't really as worthy as he seemed... 

Mokuba! Is alive. :) I knew he had to be gone somehow, and I wasn't about to kill him -- I'm not so sure Kaiba would survive that. And somehow I could see him working with orphans, seeing how difficult things were for him & his brother when they were younger. There'll be a little more about him later. 

* * *

**..:: responses to reviewers ::..**  
Arrowsphere: ah, you know, I actually had it in there that Yugi said he was babysitting the kid, and then I decided that it didn't seem very natural to say; it didn't occur to me the other meanings that it could have. but yea; he's babysitting. as you may have noticed, lol. and I be glad you like the idea.  
Ranma Higurashi: was this soon enough? ^^   
Lady Kaiba: Haha, yea, I figured the lawyer bit was a bit predictable.   
Duo's Only Chick: thankies. :)  
Nenya85: am glad you liked. ^^  
lotus re-incarnate: really? Haha, Yami as a a lawyer; that's sort of a fun visual. thanks. I meant for reviewing, not the visual, lol.  



	4. Chapter Three

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh._**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Kaiba was surprised - both pleasantly and unpleasantly - that Wheeler survived the first week. From what Kaiba saw, Wheeler actually seemed to enjoy his job; not something he had expected. 

"You chose the new lawyer well," his secretary told him Friday night. "A nice change from Daniels." She set some files onto his desk, and Kaiba looked through them before answering. 

"Daniels was reliable." 

"Not if he quit," she pointed out. She looked proud of herself for that one. 

Kaiba shrugged. "Whatever. Didn't you go off the clock an hour ago?" 

"Yup." 

"Then why are you still here?" 

"Wasn't done with my work." 

Studious as always; Kaiba definitely liked his secretary. "Glad to hear someone around here has some work ethics." 

"It's not just me," she protested. "There are lots of good workers - Bob, Claire, Stevens… and Joey works. I bet you two would have gotten along as kids." 

Kaiba resisted it for as long as he could… He lasted 10 seconds before he burst into fits of laughter, letting his head fall onto his desk. It was unusual for him to laugh so openly, but the irony of her words was probably the funniest thing Kaiba had heard in months. Besides, what did he have to lose? Nothing: not a damn thing. Not anymore. When he looked up he wasn't surprised to see that she had backed away a few steps and was looking at him as though he had spouted a second head. 

"What did I say?" she asked bewilderedly. 

Kaiba shook with silent laughter. "Wheeler and I went to school together for a short period of time. We hated each other. He was a nuisance and an idiot; he was always making an ass of himself." 

"You're harsh, boss." 

Kaiba shook his head, laughter ebbing. Some things were funny, but Wheeler's idiocy wasn't one of them. "It's not harsh, it's honest. I bet even his friends would agree with me. I was surprised that he had a job at all, let alone one that would qualify him to work in Kaiba Corp. If we were still 16, I wouldn't trust him with a mop." 

"Nice to hear," Wheeler said from the doorway. The blond was leaning casually against the frame. Kaiba stared at him, searching for some sign of annoyance, but there was nothing to be seen. Wheeler looked… calm. 

"Need something?" Kaiba was surprised that Wheeler wasn't upset, or yelling, or ranting. In fact, the blond even looked slightly amused. That bothered Kaiba. As much as a dumb ass as Wheeler had been, there was something cathartic about their ceaseless bickering, something that made Kaiba feel more in control. Without the constant tension… well, Wheeler was dull. When Wheeler wasn't quick to reply, Kaiba goaded, "What, so scathing remarks to defend your honor?" 

Wheeler shrugged. "It's generally not a good idea to insult your boss." 

Ah. That was it; preservation of his job, survival of the fittest. "Amazing," Kaiba said. "The day that I watch Wheeler fall below me willingly..." 

Wheeler shrugged. Damn it, he was supposed to get angry! Kaiba was in the mood for a good fight; it was the closest thing to nostalgia he could think of. "Well, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Anyway, I'm here on Yugi's request: he wanted me to invite you over tonight. Wants to catch up or something. If you're interested, come over." Kaiba was going to retort when Wheeler threw over his shoulder, "Goodnight, Mr. Kaiba." With that Wheeler left, humming under his breath. Once he was gone the secretary - forgotten during Kaiba's jibes - spoke. 

"You should go." 

"And what makes you say that?" 

She shrugged, turning to leave just as Wheeler had. "It'll get you out of the office." She stopped just before she reached the door. She smiled back at him. "I remember your brother used to make you leave; maybe you need someone to give you a push in the right direction. I'd go insane if I never left the office." 

"It's peaceful." 

"Like a tomb." She was gone. 

_Interesting_. Was she calling Kaiba Corp. a tomb because it was sealed off from the world… or was there a deeper meaning to what she said? Was she capable of that sort of depth? Kaiba rifled through the papers she had brought in, glancing over them with half-hearted interest. There was nothing there that he couldn't put off until tomorrow; as it was he was getting more done daily than necessary… all because he had nothing better to do. 

Maybe Kaiba Corp. was like a tomb. His tomb: enclosing him inside to rot for eternity. How depressing. Fitting for him, though; if he had to rot, he'd prefer to go while doing something useful. Working until the very last second, to his last breath... 

If Mokuba heard him say that, he'd hit him, or yell at him - probably both. Mokuba could be quite a fearsome creature. Speaking of Mokuba… Kaiba shuffled papers on the desk, finding the latest letter from his younger brother. 

**'Hi big brother! **

'I'm glad to hear you made it safely to Domino. What's the old house like? I'd love to see it again; we used to have a lot of fun there. 

'I'm doing just fine here; there are so many kids here, Seto, and all without parents! And I thought that we had it bad… I can't believe how some parents can just discard their children, especially the little girls. There's so many little girls… 

'Are you doing okay? You're not working too hard, are you? I bet you need to get out of Kaiba Corp. I bet you were there when the letter arrived, weren't you? And you're still there, right now, I know it. I'm going to ask someone, and start calling at weird hours of the night (your time), just to make you sure you went home… or not even home, just out. Remember, there's more to life than work. True to that, I'm going to come visit soon. I'd like to see Domino again. Does everyone still live there? Have you seen them? If you did or do, tell them all I said hi and not to leave until I get there. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get away, but it'll be soon, okay? I'll definitely be there for Christmas, even if I arrive 2 hours before midnight. I'll make it. 

'Love, Mokuba' 

Kaiba smiled as he skimmed the letter. He hadn't seen his younger brother since last Christmas. When Mokuba had told him that he wanted to go work with orphaned children, he'd assured Kaiba that he'd be back to see him every Christmas, at least once a year just so they could be together. But it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet; Christmas seemed to be so far off… 

_"I'm always going to come back and see you, okay Seto? And no matter how far apart we are, I'm always right with you." Kaiba relished in the feeling of his brother's arms around him, hugging him tightly, one more time before he boarded the plane. "Please be okay while I'm gone." _

"I'll be fine," Kaiba told him. "I knew you wouldn't stay forever." 

"I didn't." 

Kaiba sighed, set the letter back down on his desk. The place was starting to feel a little more like a tomb, now that the damn woman had mentioned it. It was deathly silent, like his house. If he visited Wheeler and Yugi there would be noise - irritating and pointless noise, but at least he wouldn't feel like the universe was trying to swallow him. 

He must have been having some sort of midlife crisis; silence had never bothered him before. Then again, silence had never been so absolute. With a frustrated grunt Kaiba stood, finding his car keys on his desk. Besides, if Mokuba called while he was in the office, he'd probably get an earful… and that wasn't something that he looked forward to. 

--

"Shh." 

What a greeting. Wheeler held his finger to his lips, stepping out of the doorway and letting Kaiba in. After a second Kaiba realized why he was being told to keep quiet: Yugi was on the phone… arguing from the sounds of it. 

"You're being irrational; come home." A pause. "No, that's not what I meant, I just… It's been months; can't we just put this behind us?" Whoever was on the other end of the phone was making Yugi beg. He paused again, a long pause. Kaiba took a seat, watching silently. "No, honey, don't hang up. Téa!" Ah, the brunette girl: Kaiba remember now that he heard Yugi say her name. There was another pause. "Téa?" Yugi repeated softly, as though he was afraid of the answer he might receive. The sound was contrasted by a very sudden - very loud - "God damn it!" It made Kaiba jump. If he had never known that Yugi was capable of such explosive behavior, he might have thought twice about messing with him. 

Wheeler dropped down onto the loveseat with a coke in hand. He didn't seem at all phased by Yugi's outburst. "Shut up," he said gently. "The kid's asleep." 

"She hung up again," Yugi murmured darkly, falling onto the loveseat beside Wheeler. 

"I know. You want to me hook you up with a good divorce lawyer? I've got some old classmates on speed dial," Wheeler offered dryly, opening his coke and taking a sip. 

"We're not getting divorced. And hi, Kaiba." Yugi didn't sound at all friendly, and the weariness that Kaiba had seen the last time they met had returned ten-fold. 

"Bullshit; she's been away for what, four months?" 

"Two." 

"Oh. That's still a long time." 

Kaiba didn't ask what was going on. Strange as it was, he was enjoying trying to put together the pieces by himself, like the lives of two men he had known half a lifetime ago were one big complicated puzzle. 

"Do you have anything to drink?" Yugi asked. 

"You know I don't." 

"I'm going to go get something." 

Yugi drank? Kaiba considered this. Maybe Téa was staying away because Yugi had become an alcoholic… Kaiba dismissed the idea with a small shake of his head. No, Yugi wasn't alcoholic material, and Wheeler probably wouldn't have left his kid with a drunkard. As a side-thought he interjected, "Drinking doesn't solve anything." Yugi glared at him, but Wheeler looked at him like he had just met a long-lost friend. It sort of made Kaiba want to back away. 

"See?" he said softly, touching Yugi's shoulder. "Even Kaiba agrees with me. If Kaiba and I agree, then it's gotta be important, right?" 

Yugi sighed, his whole body seemed to quiver for a moment… and then he was clutching Wheeler tightly, whole body shaking as he leaned against Joey's chest; after a second Kaiba realized that he was crying. Wheeler was rubbing Yugi's back and whispering soothingly. It wasn't a sight that Kaiba hadn't expected. He certainly hadn't left his office to watch a grown man weep like a heartbroken teenaged girl… It felt like a cheap soap opera, and Kaiba was tempted to look around for a camera crew. 

He wasn't sure how long they all sat in near-silence, punctuated by Yugi's occasional whimpers and soft moans, or the reassuring murmurs of Wheeler, but eventually Yugi fell silent, curled against Wheeler like a frightened child seeking solace from his mother. 

"I shouldn't have said anything about divorce," Wheeler said remorsefully. "It freaks him out." Kaiba waited, expecting Yugi to respond, or to start sniveling again. Then he realized that Yugi was sleeping, cheeks streaked with tears. 

Kaiba was done guessing; he wanted a straight answer to the puzzle that had accumulated over the past 15 years. "What was that all about?" 

Wheeler stared at him for a moment, head tilted slightly to the side as though he was confused… and then he sighed. "I forgot that you were gone during all this." 

Kaiba nodded. He hadn't realized that his presence was so easy to forget; last he checked he'd been an imposing figure in Domino. Now that he thought about it, being so easily forgotten was a bit insulting. 

"You want Domino History 101? It's pitifully melodramatic." 

Kaiba shrugged nonchalantly. "It's always been like that around here." 

Wheeler nodded. "Well, Yugi and Téa got married… a couple years back. Six or something; I'm not sure. I've got a picture over there; the date is somewhere on the back. But…" Wheeler paused. "They were having trouble with kids." 

"Too many?" 

"None. It had something to do with Téa, I know that, but she wasn't exactly talkative about it. Last January she got pregnant. Helluva way to start a year, you know? They were really excited." 

Kaiba did the math in his head. "They should have a baby right now." 

Wheeler nodded. "They should. When Téa was eight months pregnant there was an accident - car accident. It wasn't anyone's fault; they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time… She lost the baby. For a while she was just… like dead inside or something, you know?" Wheeler's voice shook, a testament that whatever it had been like, it had been bad for him. Kaiba was torn between curiosity, pity - a very strange feeling for him - and the urge to roll his eyes. The whole thing seemed tragic but horribly clichéd. Then again, it was Domino; it was always curiously overdramatic. Wheeler continued, "She wanted the baby more than anything - she'd never been so happy, not in all the years I've known her. She wanted to be a good mom, the picture-perfect wife… and she felt like that chance was taken from her. 

"After a little bit she snapped out of it. We all thought it was going to be okay, that things would go back to normal. One morning she went to a doctor's appointment and didn't come home. Yugi was scared out of his mind… She called later that week. She won't come back, she keeps telling him that she doesn't want to stay in Domino; she wants to go somewhere new, some place where she can let go of everything that happened here, all the bad things." Wheeler bit the inside of his cheek, looking down at Yugi. "It breaks his heart. He loves her." 

Kaiba nodded. "Everyone isn't strong. A person can only take so much before they have to flee. Best to go while you're young." 

"Even at the risk of those who love you?" 

Kaiba shrugged, reminded of Mokuba leaving on the plane that day, almost a year ago. "Sometimes it's what's best. Would Yugi prefer Téa to be miserable the rest of her life? Could his love for her make all her suffering okay?" Kaiba wasn't sure if he was talking about Yugi and Téa or himself and Mokuba… Despite the different circumstances, the situation felt startlingly similar. 

"No," Yugi murmured, half-asleep but aware. "It wouldn't," he moaned softly. He curled closer to Wheeler, and Kaiba's heart went out to him. "I just want her back. I'd leave in a heartbeat if I thought it'd mean something." 

"I know," Wheeler said. He grinned weakly. "Go wash your face; you look like shit." 

Yugi sat up and smiled slightly. "Jackass." He wrapped an arm around Wheeler's shoulders, hugging him quickly before retreating to the bathroom. Once he was gone Wheeler leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. "Thanks, by the way." 

"For what?" Kaiba never expected to hear Wheeler thank him… for anything. 

"For that 'drinking doesn't solve anything' line. He doesn't usually do stuff like that…" Wheeler seemed overcome with the need to protect Yugi. He had always been like that, and it came as relief to see that some things never changed. "He's stressed. I just wish… I just wish that something would happen, something definite. Even if it's bad, it'll be somewhere to move on from. Right now it's just the same shit over and over again; she calls, they argue, and Yugi ends up more upset than when he started." 

"Why does she keep calling? Has anyone tried talking to her?" 

"I intend to, sooner or later." 

"You do that. I'm going to go home." 

"Yea. Sorry this all went badly. Yuugi really does want to, you know, get to know you or something," Wheeler added. 

"Whatever." Kaiba stood, glancing in the direction that Yugi had disappeared. It was a shame that he had no condolences to offer. "Take care of him." 

Wheeler blinked at him. "Kaiba… did you just give a damn about someone else?" 

Kaiba let his shoulders sag a little bit and glared at Wheeler. Stupid Wheeler. 

Wheeler winked at him; the motion caught Kaiba off-guard. "Right, Kaiba doesn't care about anyone; I almost forgot." His words seemed almost friendly. "I'll keep it quiet." 

Kaiba had the door halfway open when Yugi stopped him. "Wait, Kaiba," he pleaded from the bathroom doorway. "Why don't you join us on Thanksgiving? Everyone is getting together at the Game Shop." 

"Why?" It was the first thing Kaiba thought. "We're not exactly friends." True, they were all basically civil to each other, and Yugi had always tried to keep it that way, but the fact remained that they weren't friends. He wasn't going to pretend otherwise. 

"But it's been 15 years," Wheeler cut in. As if that changed anything. "If it makes you uncomfortable, don't think of it as invitation of friends… think of it as an polite invitation to make up for how things went tonight." Yugi glared at Wheeler, but the blond shrugged it off. At least he was honest about it... Guilt easily explained why Yugi's invitation. In fact, guilt seemed to explain… everything? No; guilt didn't explain why Kaiba was actually tempted by the offer, interested in seeing how everything was different, how all those people had changed… He sighed. He really must have been going soft. "Fine. What time?" 

"Well, we probably won't eat until a little later that evening, but come by around noon; that's when everyone's supposed to show up." 

Kaiba nodded. "Thanksgiving. Noon." 

Wheeler was smiling. Damn. He didn't ever recall making Wheeler smile… and he was sure that he wasn't too proud that he had. 

Yugi was smiling too, but that didn't bother Kaiba nearly as much. "Cool. We'll see you then." 

**

- end chapter three -

**

* * *

**- notes -**  
I definately have to thank Hannah for helping me with this chapter; I was having some major issues with it. 

You might be making a face and saying, "That was so pathetically melodramatic and corny." I would nod and agree. 

Our secretary makes for a good way of leading into things. Like Kaiba taking time to actually think about Joey, haha. Or making him feel a little uncomfortable about his own workplace. 

So I want to start moving on to develop/introduce the other characters, their melodrama in the past 15 years, and how that's affected/looking to Kaiba -- therefore, I can't think of much to say. Somehow, I had to be melodramatic about how things had gone; the story would probably be boring otherwise, lol. 

On Yugi crying... I really got into a fight with myself about that. It seemed to fit well -- given that these characters tend to cry a lot; has anyone else noticed that? -- but at the same time, the idea of a grown man crying... In the end I decided that given the circumstances and all the emotion that the characters seem to show each other, Yugi crying didn't seem too horrible. I hope. *cringe* 

Tea has been a fun character; she has a lot of unresolved issues, but for my purposes she's not heartless. It tends to irk me when she's written as some psycho who cares about nothing but her own methods... but you know, it's how things go. That's my biggest concern in writing her for this story; that in trying to make her an _imperfect_ character that it's going to come off as mindless bashing. Which it's not, I promise. Besides, it would be one big domestic playpen if EVERYONE had kids, you know? (Imagines play groups and daycare and all that domestic jazz.) Haha. I also wanted to show that Yugi hasn't had it easy... and that he and Joey are close. And I wanted to show that sometimes people break under pressure. Did I do that? 

Actually, there's one very small line I took out of here -- okay, a couple of lines -- in which Yugi actually threw the phone against the wall; later Joey told Kaiba that he had to replace his phone at least three times a week. In my world, that was really funny, but I decided that it didn't work. 

Furthermore, I wanted to give Kaiba and Joey some time to talk again. I think a lot of this story is centered around dialogue, only because there's really no other way to learn about the past from only one POV. 

Thanksgiving: it may be out of season NOW, but I started writing this not long before Thanksgiving, so it fit THEN, lol. And it's a good reason to get everyone together, you know? 

Anyway... right, now much to say. u.u For the record, I keep getting into fights with my own timeline; someone let me know if I obviously mess it up, okay? Thankies. ^^ 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers::..**  
(_'cause you guys rule, man. ^^_) 

Fire Dragon of Darkness: aw, thanks. :) If it's any consolation, I thought it was all kind of obvious too. *scratches head*  
dream-chaser668, tanya maxwell, tadashi: _arigato_. ^^ 


	5. Chapter Four

_**Happy New Year! Oh yea, and ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. or Mexican food. Or China. That world-domination thing hasn't been working out for me. ^_~**_

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Thanksgiving had come and gone without any great notice - Kaiba ended up regretting that he agreed to spend it with Yugi and his friends. He spent a night with people he hardly recognized, hearing stories of history that he wasn't a part of… It was all very confusing, and that confusion lent itself to annoyance. Annoyance gave way to anger, and anger made him avoid any more long encounters with Yugi or his friends; Wheeler was the exception, and that was only because he had to work with Wheeler on a daily basis. Even those encounters were brief and often times rude. 

Kaiba worked relentlessly as always; it got to the point that he abhorred any interruption, even from his secretary. For that reason he snapped, "Get out," where he heard the door to his office open. He didn't even look up to see who had entered; he didn't care. 

"Now is that any way to treat your only brother?" Kaiba's head shot up, and for tearing himself away from his work he was rewarded: Mokuba was standing in the doorway, smiling. He looked different. His hair was messy as ever, but cropped to his shoulders. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. 

"Mokuba!" He smiled. "I didn't expect you back so soon." 

"Yea, I got lucky," Mokuba replied, jumping onto the sofa; he made himself at home, like he had never left. "You slept last night?" 

"Yes," Kaiba answered dutifully. 

"And you slept in a bed?" 

"Yes. Stop worrying about me." He paused, examined his brother thoroughly. "When did you cut your hair?" 

Mokuba laughed. "I, ah, didn't; two little boys at the orphanage decided to cut it for me while I wasn't looking. It wasn't their fault; they overheard me complaining about it being too long the day before. They thought they were helping." 

"I told you whining would get you in trouble." Kaiba said it affectionately. 

Mokuba snorted. "It's fine. So, tell me all about what you've been doing; your letters leave a lot to be desired." 

Kaiba shrugged and turned back to his computer. The younger boy in him wanted to rush over to his brother, hug him tight and tell him all about… well, everything. How different Domino felt, and how empty it had been without him. The adult in Kaiba knew that would be stupid, knew that they weren't boys. The adult prevailed, and he spoke calmly as he worked; "It's different. I had to hire a lot of new employees." 

Mokuba clicked his tongue. "That's a shame. What about Yugi and everyone, are they still here?" 

Kaiba nodded. "They're all here…" 

"Terrific! I can't wait to see them!" Mokuba rubbed his hands together, but Kaiba only smiled slightly and shook his head. His brother was so strange about friends. He had been a social butterfly after they moved; Kaiba had constantly been shooing random kids off his porches and balconies by the time Mokuba was fifteen. Within months he was known as "the old man Kaiba" among Mokuba's friends. He had barely been 20. 

He kept working, and Mokuba was silent. Mokuba whistled, paused, whistled again. He stopped and made a feeble attempt at conversation. "So Marianne is still here." 

"Marianne?" 

"Seto! That's your secretary!" Mokuba sounded comically appalled. 

"Oh," Kaiba said deviously. "That's her name." 

"I don't know why people work for you," Mokuba said. "You're so cold as a boss." 

"Hmph." He kept working, and Mokuba went back to whistling. It didn't last long. 

"Seto, isn't there ANYTHING else to say?" 

Kaiba shook his head. "I have a lot to get done before this afternoon." 

"Ah, like hell," Mokuba said, rolling his eyes. "I'm going to go bother employees." 

Kaiba laughed softly. "Like when you were a kid?" 

"Just like that, except I don't expect to get as much candy." Mokuba winked. 

"There are a lot of new employees, so be careful who you haunt," Kaiba warned. "And don't disrupt the ones who actually work." 

Mokuba nodded, standing and going to the door. "I know. Seto, we're going out for dinner tonight," he dictated, leaving no room for argument. "We're leaving no later than six, and we're going to have fun, got it? I didn't come home to watch you work yourself sick." 

Home… Was Domino really home for Mokuba, or had he used the word loosely? "Understood," Kaiba said obediently. Mokuba was the only one who would get away with ordering him around like that. 

"Good. I'm going to go bother Daniels; he always liked me." 

Mokuba was gone before Kaiba could warn him that Daniels had been replaced. 

--

Promptly at 5:50 a laughing Mokuba sauntered into his office, Wheeler on arm. Wheeler was laughing too, his face flushed; his tie was undone and slung around his neck. Mokuba beamed at his brother. "Seto, ready to go?" 

Kaiba stared at Wheeler. "Almost. Are we bringing Wheeler along?" 

"Of course; we already called everyone else!" 

Everyone else…? Kaiba frowned. "You know I don't like big social gatherings." 

"Oh, it's just Yugi and his friends; you should be used to them. Especially Joey… why didn't you tell me that he was a lawyer? I nearly had a heart attack when I saw him!" Why was Mokuba so energetic? 

"YOU almost had a heart attack? I almost didn't recognize you, all grown-up!" Wheeler said affectionately, punching Mokuba's shoulder. 

"Yea, well, you're the old man here." Kaiba refrained from mentioning that he was the same age. Mokuba ordered, "Now hurry up and let's go. We're all going out for dinner!" 

"Where?" Kaiba asked, saving his file and standing. 

"Mexican food," Mokuba said with a grin. "I've had a craving for it since… hell, since I left." 

Kaiba cringed inwardly but didn't say anything. He would suffer through a party, through Mexican food, just as long as Mokuba was there. When he and Mokuba went back to the house they could talk… They could be together. 

Being back in Domino didn't seem so bad. 

At least, for a ten-minute period it seemed okay. Then Mokuba opted to ride with Wheeler - which left Kaiba angry enough to want to throttle Wheeler… and the entire ride to the restaurant to fume about it. Maybe he was pouting, but there was something profoundly… painful about Mokuba coming back and seeming unmoved by it. So different. So far away, when Mokuba was the only person in the world that Kaiba DIDN'T want at arms-length. 

When they arrived in the restaurant they were led to a table; Mokuba was almost bouncing cheerfully, and Wheeler was making fun of him for it. The first thing that Kaiba heard was Bakura proclaiming, "Whoa! Mokuba? You've grown up!" The white-haired male was sitting on Tristan's lap - quite the conspicuous pose, if Kaiba's opinion counted as anything. Yugi was there too, smiling and scolding Bakura teasingly. In fact, everyone looked completely happy and natural. 

Why did he suddenly feel out of place? 

"Hasn't he?" Wheeler exclaimed proudly, as though Mokuba's growth was somehow his doing. It made Kaiba want to do something possessive, to remind them exactly who Mokuba was. "The news didn't do him justice." 

Mokuba blushed and took a seat beside Bakura and Tristan, pulling Kaiba to the seat beside him. Kaiba didn't really want to go, but followed anyway. "So, when did you two get on a lap-sitting basis?" Mokuba asked with a grin. 

"Not long ago," Tristan commented. "Why? You want to borrow him for a bit?" Bakura elbowed Tristan in the chest, and Yugi laughed at the display. 

"Heh, who needs Bakura? I bet you've got yourself a hot little piece of work back in China, right?" Wheeler asked wickedly, dropping into the seat beside Yugi. Mokuba just winked and laughed, blushing ever so slightly. 

Mokuba spent most of the night either laughing or telling stories about where he had been and what he had done. Kaiba didn't understand how he managed to get any of his food into his mouth with all the talking he was doing. On some level Kaiba knew he was just being bitter; it wasn't at all how he had expected his reunion with Mokuba. In fact, he wasn't just bitter… he was jealous. They hadn't seen each other in over a year, and Kaiba just wanted to be alone with Mokuba, to know that the boy - no longer a boy, Kaiba had to reminded himself - was near. Proximity meant more to Kaiba than words. 

Luckily his cell phone rang, ending his train of thought before he could fully complete it. He excused himself, leaving the restaurant to answer it. It hadn't been anything important - a minor problem at work, something he could have easily fixed at the table - but Kaiba needed the excuse to leave for a moment, to gather his wits. The whole restaurant felt stuffy, no better than silence. At least in silence Kaiba was really alone. But feeling alone when Mokuba was close… well, that was something entirely different. Kaiba stood against the outside wall of the restaurant, not far from the door but enough in the shadows for him to feel comfortable. Isolated. 

Unfortunately someone had the gall to join him - Wheeler. He frowned as the blond held out his black jacket. "Forgot this." Wheeler was leaning casually against the wall; he was digging into his pocket with his free hand. Kaiba took the jacket from Wheeler but didn't put it on. He stared off into the night, ignoring the figure just inches to his left, perfectly comfortable thinking in silence. 

The silence was interrupted by a flick-click. Another. Kaiba crinkled his nose against an invading acid smell and looked over at Wheeler. The blond was lighting a cigarette. Wheeler was smoking. Kaiba resisted the urge to scoot away; he had always hated smokers. "That's a disgusting habit." 

Wheeler held the cigarette out, looking at it critically. He shrugged. "Yea, it is," he admitted. "Nervous habit." 

Nervous? What reason in the world would Wheeler have to be nervous? "Hmph. Only the weak make excuses." Wheeler glared at him and dropped the cigarette to the ground, crushing it with his toe - eyes on Kaiba the whole time. Defiant. "You should take charge like that more often, Wheeler." 

"Joey." 

"Wheeler." 

"You called Yugi by his name when you were enemies," Wheeler argued heatedly. "Why can't you at least fake civility?" Kaiba just looked at Wheeler, looked down at him really, as though he was inferior. He was. Wheeler continued, "Hell, even 'Joseph' is better than 'Wheeler'." 

"Joseph makes you sound intelligent," Kaiba mocked. 

Wheeler's glare intensified. "Maybe you're no better than you were years ago. You're still an asshole. You still don't give a damn about anything outside your own little world. I don't… ah, fuck you." Wheeler started fiddling with his lighter, idly lighting it and letting it go out repeatedly. 

"Whatever. I'm the asshole that's in charge of your paycheck." Kaiba pulled on his jacket, watching Wheeler fiddle with the lighter. He went to reenter the restaurant, to leave Wheeler behind. He didn't turn as he ordered, "Joey, don't light up when I leave." Hmph. That was about as civil as he was getting. He went inside, but waited by the door for a moment before he looked back through the window. 

Wheeler wasn't smoking. 

--

Finally - after nearly an hour of reminiscing and story telling - the dinner came to an end, and Kaiba finally had some time alone with Mokuba in the limo. They were silent for half of the drive. 

"Seto, are you still so hateful?" 

The question was so sudden and so intense that it caught Kaiba off-guard. It came in complete opposition to the playful mood that Mokuba had been exuding all night. Instead he sounded more like the eleven-year-old that Kaiba remembered. "Why do you ask?" 

"You didn't have a bit of fun tonight." Mokuba sighed. "It's been forever… Haven't you let everything go yet?" 

"You know me," Kaiba said ruefully. "I never let go without a fight." 

"Even when letting go would make things better." Mokuba moved to sit beside Kaiba and let his head fall onto his older brother's shoulder. "I missed you." 

Those three words make the entire night worth it. He knew Mokuba hadn't forgotten about him. How could he have suspected otherwise? Perhaps he needed to hear it out loud. "I missed you too." 

Mokuba smiled up at him cockily. "I know. But I bet by the time I leave you'll be tired of me." 

_Never._ Kaiba didn't respond. 

"So what do you plan to do for Christmas? I always wanted to have a big Christmas dinner party-" 

"You sound like a woman," Kaiba teased affectionately. 

"Do not! It's just that it's always been the two of us, and now that you're friends with-" 

Kaiba stopped that plan before it even finished. "We're not friends." 

"Would you quite interrupting?" Mokuba scowled. "You're so stubborn, Seto." 

"And you suffer from delusions of grandeur." 

"But we're all adults now, and no one is out to kill anyone. All those talks about tranquility and peace in the season could be true! Would it hurt to be just a little friendly?" 

"It could." Kaiba smiled. 

Mokuba paused, twitched, and then chuckled softly. "Did you just make a joke?" 

"It doesn't seem likely." 

"But you did! C'mon, Seto," Mokuba pleaded. "Next year we can hole ourselves up in some secret mountain location and spend the holidays with no one but each other, but just this year can't we do something special? Something different? You know, like marking our triumphant return." 

"My return and your vacation," Kaiba corrected. He wasn't going to forget that Mokuba's stay was temporary; that would only make it harder when he left again. 

"Well, yea," Mokuba admitted. "But the point is we're back. This city is yours, remember?" 

Kaiba nodded. "You used to tell me I should buy it out and rename it Kaiba City." 

Mokuba laughed. "Sort of silly, huh?" 

"Very." Kaiba sighed. "But appealing to my nostalgic side isn't going to make me let you throw some Christmas party in my home." He refused to relent; not a chance in hell was he sharing his time with Mokuba. 

"Damn. Well, Scrooge or not, you're going to have a great Christmas this year - I'll make sure of it." 

"I should be the one making those promises." 

Mokuba shrugged and yawned. "Role reversal. Just go with it." 

Just going with it wasn't something that Kaiba liked to do, even if it was to please Mokuba. He tried to think of something else to say - something meaningful, something worth wasting time and breath to say - but nothing came. 

Proximity was enough. 

"We're here, Mr. Kaiba," the driver's voice floated back to them, interrupting Kaiba's thoughts. He hadn't even noticed that the car had stopped. 

"C'mon," Mokuba said, leaving the car. They walked in silence. Mokuba broke the silence as they crossed the threshold of the house: "What are the chances that my old room is ready?" 

"Good." The room had been ready for Mokuba's arrival for nearly two weeks. "Very good, I'd say." 

"Great. Are you working tomorrow?" 

Kaiba nodded but added, "But I intend to take Saturday off so we can be together, okay?" 

"That's cool," Mokuba agreed. "Wake me up tomorrow. I'll come to work with you." He yawned again, stopping where he stood to stretch. "I'm headed to bed. G'night, big brother." 

"Sleep well." Kaiba watched fondly as his younger brother retreated to his room. 

**

- end chapter four -

**

* * *

**- author speculations... -** (_it sounds either important or pompous, lol_)  
I return from vacation, and am happy to present this. ^^ 

Hanachan is great. ^^ Why is directly related to the story of this chapter... which I will be telling in place of the usual you-me dialogue that usually sucks anyway, lol. 

This is the THIRD version of Chapter 4. I decided that the first one was cute but useless to the story, and didn't fit since I had changed some stuff anyway. So I deleted it, and what was then chapter 5 became chapter 4. About 3 or 4 days before I intended to post that chapter 4, I started to feel really edgy about it -- so I decided to go to Hanachan and ask what she thought. And she summed up what I guess I might have already suspected: it sucked. (well, she said it was boring, but in reality it just sucked, lol). 

Actually, the whole chapter was easily summed up in the first paragraph here -- there was only one significant event that I had to play with and move. That's why Thanksgiving doesn't have it's own chapter*: nothing particularly interesting happened, lol. I mean, Kaiba even left before they ate. It just introduced a lot of things that were completely irrelevent to the story, and wasted a lot of time. SO what you see here would have ORIGINALLY been chapter six, lol. 

[* that and thanksgiving is so long past that it's almost bad to go into it, lol. but, like I _think_ I already said, when I first started writing the story, it was just that time of year. ] 

Mokuba turned out to be a bit of a wise-ass, hehe. I wanted to show him off as older but with some mixture of wisdom and intelligence (he's wiser in the next chapter, lol). I enjoyed the interaction between the brother's. I just hope it came off right. 

Haha! And so the secretary gets a name. I figured for all her hard work, she needed one. :) 

Well, it was finally time for Joey to stop being so passive and say something to Kaiba -- even if he was sort of pouting. I liked that part, but I'm not so sure if it came off right. As for him smoking... well, everyone has bad habits, and I could somehow see him picking that one up. Interesting, you know? Or I thought it was. But hey, they finally had something of a not-work-related conversation. Kind of. 

Tristan & Bakura (Ryou, in this case; not Yami Bakura. just to squelch any confusion) -- that was one of those things that was mentioned in the chapter-that-is-no-longer, coined up in one line on Joey's part: "It's a long story involving my ex-couch, a package of cherries, and Bakura. There's a reason I don't have a couch anymore." I figured that Tristan and Bakura being shacked up wasn't a very big deal, lol. Though one (or both) of them might come into play later as a little more important. 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers from chapter three::..**  
_[[ Hey! Here's hopin' everyone's respective holiday celebrations and New Year's went well! ^^ ]]_

lady dragon, gohan hugger,eyes0nme19, ranma higurashi, tanya maxwell: ^^ thanks, guys (who probably aren't guys, lol; I'm too generic!) It's great seein' you guys; it makes me all warm & fuzzy, lol.  
tadashi: maybe this is an unwanted visual, but given the height difference, can you imagine those two in bed? *giggle* that would be interesting to watch. ... wow, that was majorly perverted sounding. yea, I guess it is sort of pot-hole-ish. Uhm... I'm sorry? Lol. ^^ I swear I'm not trying to pick on you right now -- I just think I'm funny. 


	6. Chapter Five

_**ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh or anything related to it. ashes is not in any way related to the weather channel.**_

* * *

**Chapter Five**

It was nearly ten AM when Kaiba's cell phone rang; he knew who would be on the other end, knew exactly what he was in for when he picked it up... 

"You were supposed to wake me up!" Mokuba shouted. Kaiba cringed at the volume of his younger brother's voice, but wasn't surprised; he hadn't expected anything less. 

"I tried, but you refused to wake up," Kaiba chided. "It's Friday; aren't there a hundred different things a kid like you would rather do than sit around in my office?" 

"But we could have spent time together," Mokuba pouted. Amazing; he seemed to transform from an adult to a child in an instant. Kaiba clicked his tongue softly. 

"We have all day tomorrow. I'm probably going to be working late tonight, so you should go out and have some fun." 

"You're such a hypocrite, telling me to go out and do something when you hardly leave the office," Mokuba said darkly. "Can we at least have lunch together?" 

Kaiba didn't hesitate to answer: "Of course. What time?" 

"I'll come by at noon. But this doesn't mean I'm not upset with you." 

Ouch. Kaiba sighed. "All day tomorrow, Mokuba." 

"Yea, I've heard THAT before. Noon." Mokuba hung up, and Kaiba did likewise, tossing the cell phone onto the desk. It was ironic that Mokuba had spent the previous day all but ignoring Kaiba, and then got upset when Kaiba didn't wake him up for work. If he hadn't turned out so perfectly normal Kaiba might have been angry. Luckily for Mokuba there was something comforting about that normalcy, even when he was being a normal pain in the ass. After all, what else was a brother for? 

Kaiba kept himself so busy that he almost didn't notice when it neared noon; if Wheeler hadn't suddenly barged into his office he wouldn't have marked the time at all. "What?" he snapped - sure, it had reminded him of the time, but that didn't mean he appreciated being interrupted while he was working. 

"Sorry," Wheeler said weakly. "I thought Mokuba was here. He wanted to meet Alex, and he told me…" 

"He slept in," Kaiba interrupted. "Did you bring your kid to work again?" It hadn't happened often, but everyone once in a while Kaiba had gone into Wheeler's office to find the toddler sitting on the floor, coloring or eating. He pitied the janitors on those days. 

"No," Wheeler answered defensively. "Serenity brought him over for lunch." As if on cue the kid peeked in from behind Wheeler's legs and waved at Kaiba. 

"I'll let Mokuba know you dropped by," Kaiba commented. "And stop bringing him; this isn't a kid-friendly environment, and the more often you bring him the higher the chances that he's going to get hurt." With that he began typing, returning to his work. 

"That's the second time in a month." 

"What are you babbling about, Wheeler?" Kaiba had figured his last statement had been a pretty good attempt at a covert dismissal, especially considering how blatantly Kaiba was trying to ignore him. 

"Joey. And I'm talking about you: that's the second time since you've come back that I've seen you act concerned about someone else." 

Kaiba snorted in disbelief. "You're surprised by this?" 

"Well, you used to act heartless, and you can still be a real…" Wheeler paused and looked down at Alex. "You hungry, kid?" 

Abrupt subject change; Kaiba smirked. Wheeler had been on the verge of saying something that could have started a fight. Pity he hadn't finished the sentence. 

"Yea!" Alex replied. "We go to the park!" 

"Sure." Wheeler looked back to Kaiba. "Tell Mokuba I said hi." 

"Fine." Wheeler left, and Kaiba shook his head. "I'm not heartless," he grumbled, glaring at his computer screen without really seeing it. 

"Of course not," Mokuba assured him. Kaiba looked up to see Mokuba enter the room. "Stubborn, but not heartless." 

"Wheeler says hi," Kaiba said, partially to get it out of the way and partially to change the topic. 

"I know; I just passed him." Mokuba dropped onto the small couch that adorned Kaiba's office and yawned. 

"So," Kaiba asked, standing. "Where do you want to go?" 

"Let's order something; I don't feel like going out. Hmm… Pizza?" Mokuba eyes lit up, and he looked hopeful. "Is that one place still in business?" 

Kaiba nodded. "Pizza is fine; what topping?" He didn't particularly like pizza, but it was bearable in small amounts. 

"Pepperoni and black olive!" Mokuba answered immediately, grinning from ear to ear. Kaiba rolled his eyes; Mokuba's taste in food hadn't changed at all. 

"Anything else?" 

"Hmm… breadsticks? Ooh, coke!" 

Kaiba nodded and went to the phone on his desk, ordering the food and making sure someone was sent to pick it up. When that was all done he settled on the couch beside Mokuba. 

"Does the TV work in here?" Mokuba asked, juggling the remote from hand to hand. 

"Yes. I watched the news the other night; you were on." 

Mokuba crinkled his nose. "I didn't want to be, but everyone thought I was the best person to 'raise awareness' about our cause." 

"Well, if the face sells, the product will do." 

"I'm not trying to sell anything," Mokuba protested. "I'm just trying to help kids." With that Mokuba turned on the TV, an obvious sign that he was done with the topic. Probably a wise move on his part; Kaiba could argue marketability much longer than Mokuba could ever dream of. Mokuba must have spent five minutes flipping through channels before he finally decided on the Weather Channel. Kaiba raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. 

"Slightly cloudy, with a forty-five percent change of snow…" 

"I don't understand weather prediction," Mokuba commented. "What makes the weatherman any different from the astrologist?" 

"Science," Kaiba answered firmly. "Satellites take pictures, and the meteorologist reads what will happen." 

"Astrologists look to the stars and read what will happen next in life, just like the meteorologist reads clouds and patterns. So how is trusting a meteorologist any different than trusting an astrologist?" 

"It just is. People need science, not fancy superstition. Weather is more accurate than astrology." 

Mokuba raised an eyebrow - so much like Kaiba; it made the elder smile. "Is it? Then what's that?" Mokuba pointed to the window, and Kaiba turned to look. 

It was snowing. "That's forty-five percent." 

"Forty-five percent is less than half; that means unlikely." 

"The higher side of unlikely." 

"But still unlikely. It was a chance; even astrologists are right some days." 

"Where are you going with this?" 

"I'm just saying that the weatherman is no more reliable than the fortune-teller; this stuff should be just as much for entertainment as horoscopes. Life isn't about knowing what the future holds; it's about a series of chances. You can take those chances, or you can let them pass. But you can't predict any outcome." Mokuba smiled fondly at Kaiba. "You taught me that. Not in so many words, but…" Mokuba shrugged, and the moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Food!" Within minutes the pizza was on the coffee table, and Mokuba was digging in. Kaiba smiled at his brother's antics and took a slice of pizza. 

"So we're watching the Weather Channel for entertainment?" Kaiba asked amusedly, making sure he understood. There was something interesting about his brother's logic. Ridiculous, but interesting. 

"Yup, and you can't complain because it's all your fault." Mokuba stuck out his tongue quickly before returning to his food. "Seto," he continued, his mouth half full, "I-" 

"Swallow first," Kaiba ordered, just like when Mokuba was a kid. Mokuba scowled and obeyed. "There. Now talk." 

"For all you've taught me, I want to teach you something." 

Kaiba look at Mokuba quizzically. "And what would you teach me?" 

Mokuba sat up straight and looked Kaiba in the eye as he said, "The only thing riskier than letting your life be run by predictions is letting the past dictate your future." 

"Oh." Kaiba took a bite of his pizza, chewing slowly while he thought about that. Seemed insightful - Mokuba's motives were obvious, but it was potentially deep. "And why would you want to teach me that?" 

"Because I think it's the only thing you don't understand," Mokuba explained. Kaiba didn't press the issue, and they fell into silence as they watched TV and ate their lunch. 

Kaiba didn't think he was wise. Any "wisdom" he possessed was derived from his mistakes; that knowledge took the luster out of it. Maybe he could be considered worldly, but he would never call himself wise. Mokuba on the other hand was different; his mistakes didn't haunt him, and he derived his ideas from somewhere else, somewhere foreign to Kaiba… and for a minute he considered his brother's advice. It was clever, but that didn't mean it couldn't be taken apart - just like any other advice from any other person. It was ridiculous to rely on fortune telling; Kaiba agreed with that. The past was different though. The past was definite, absolute, and would never change with interpretation. The lessons learned there could save a man, ensure his future. Therefore Mokuba had to be wrong; relying on the past to make one's choices was less dangerous than silly future-prediction. 

Kaiba kept that conclusion to himself; he would let Mokuba believe in his wisdom and keep his own philosophy to heart. 

"You're so stubborn," Mokuba sighed, but he didn't continue. 

Kaiba only nodded. "I know." 

**- end chapter five -**

* * *

**- author notes -**  
I didn't expect to have this posted so soon, but LadyNyoko wanted to look over it and proofread for me, so that definately sped things up, lol. ^^ So thankies to her. 

"This was pointless," you may say.  
I would disagree. 

As pointless as this seems, it will serve a purpose later. Actually, I bet most people caught on to it's purpose and would agree with me that it's predictable. Also, I wanted to show that Mokuba isn't just some ditz (as he seems to have come off in Chapter Four, lol), but that he also has some depth. And I promise that something IS going to happen. We definately make some progress in the next chapter. ^^ 

Mokuba is weird, haha. I think he's sort of a wild character: he's social in chapter 4, angry in the beginning of this chapter, then deep & nostalgic, and finally ends on a somewhat frustrated note. Such mood swings! But I'm actually amused that Kaiba still seems to treat him like a kid sometimes in this chapter... 

That and we got a little more Kaiba & Joey interaction. Which is important, lol. 

As far as Mokuba's short rant about being on the news, I could see him getting shoved in front of cameras to sell the cause -- after all, as often as he's been kidnapped, it's pretty obvious people know who he is. I could also see him not wanting to be any spokesman, wanting to do more than be seen, you know? 

In all honestly, I dont know where the hell that Weather Channel thing came from -- I was sitting around, it popped into my head, so I wrote it. I actually like where it went; I think it gave a little insight into Kaiba. Or at least, I hope it did. Eek. Actually, I'm a little worried that I talked out my ass some on the meterologist thing. I seem to remember something about reading weather patterns from sixth grade, lol. It sounded right at the time, so I went with it. Sorry if it's horribly inaccurate. 

I like the last (big) paragraph -- it was fun to write, but it's only purpose was to contrast how Kaiba looks at Mokuba from himself, and therefore how he sees Mokuba's wisdom... I kinda liked that he tore it apart. I'm not sure why. o.O So I'm not sure if it really served a purpose or not, lol. *nervous* 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers from chapter four::..**

TanyaMaxwell: Kaiba is a fun character -- and thanks; well wishes to you too! :)  
Fire Dragon of Darkness, bladegryphon: _arigato_.   
Pestilience: I think Kaiba would put up one helluva a fight, lol.  



	7. Chapter Six

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh or anything related to yu-gi-oh._**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Kaiba woke up in a good mood on Saturday morning, and, surprisingly enough, that mood lasted throughout the day. 

He spent the morning relaxing around the house and playing games with Mokuba. Neither activity was something that he engaged in often, and he had to admit that it was nice not to be in charge for a while. Not that he intended to start doing it on a regular basis. 

In the afternoon Mokuba dragged him out to downtown Domino to do some Christmas shopping. On top of Christmas shopping they bought decorations for the house - which led to Kaiba's evening. They spent the early evening setting up lights and garland around the house. After dinner they even put up a tree - something they hadn't done alone before. It was a fiasco, and Kaiba had to 'save' Mokuba from getting crushed by the tree twice. 

"You're overreacting!" Mokuba laughed, brushing some pine needles from his sweater. "I would have been fine." 

Kaiba retorted, "It's instinct." 

Around nine Mokuba took out the outdoor decorations and dragged Kaiba out to decorate. They were outside until nearly midnight... and Kaiba enjoyed it. It was a little alarming, but even when Mokuba had shoved him into the snow he had a good time. There was no reason to keep his guards up, every reason to enjoy his brother's company - even if they were back in Domino, in 'the heart of the beast', so to speak. 

On Sunday morning Kaiba regretted all that fun; he woke up sick. Not just sniffling sick, but sick with a pounding head, sore throat, AND sniffling. Mokuba ordered him to stay home and rest… not that Kaiba intended to obey. Once Mokuba was out of sight he got dressed and headed out to the garage. 

His car was gone. Crafty kid. 

Kaiba tried to contact his driver, only to learn that the man was given the day off. There didn't seem to be a single person in the household that was willing to drive him down to Kaiba Corp. Mokuba was a little too clever for his own good. Or perhaps Kaiba was entirely too predictable. He gave up and retreated to his den; he could at least get a little bit of work done there. He was worked uninterrupted until a loud knock interrupted the silence. Kaiba looked up at the clock: eleven. "Yes?" 

Wheeler opened the door and looked in, grinning smugly. "The day Kaiba takes off… Who'd believe me if I told them?" 

"Did you come all the way here to be wise-ass?" Kaiba could have thought of a more biting remark if he had been feeling better. 

"No, I need you to look over this contract." Wheeler held up a manila folder like a peace offering. 

"Oh. You finished it?" Wheeler nodded. "Have a seat." The blond obeyed and sat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk from Kaiba. Once again he had proven his worth in work, and once again Kaiba was impressed. Wheeler handed the folder over the desk, and Kaiba opened it, examining the contents. It was misfortunate that he couldn't concentrate; his head was throbbing so bad he couldn't focus on the words, and he when he did manage to focus, he couldn't force the meaning of what he was reading into his head. Damn it, where had his terrific immune system gone? He used to go days with sleep, without food, and never got sick, but now a couple of hours out in the snow… He fumed, glaring at the papers he was holding as though they were somehow offensive. 

"You sound like shit." 

Kaiba scowled and looked up at Wheeler. "What?" 

"You sound stuffy." 

"How so?" 

"When you talk… hell, when you breathe. Are you sick?" 

Kaiba blinked. He hadn't noticed that he was breathing any differently, and it rubbed him the wrong way that Wheeler had. "A little." 

"Did you take any medicine?" 

Was that concern that Kaiba heard? Ridiculous. "Why does it matter? Shut up, I'm trying to read." 

"Dumb ass." The name caught Kaiba by surprised, and he glared. Wheeler continued, "You've been on the same page for nearly five minutes. You didn't take anything, did you?" Wheeler sounded like a mother scolding her child. Kaiba was no one's child; he was a perfectly capable adult, and he didn't need to be fussed over. 

"For your information," he growled, "I didn't." 

"You're never going to get better," Wheeler warned. "Go take some." 

Kaiba bristled. "It's not your place to give me orders in my own home." 

Wheeler rolled his eyes. "Fine!" he said exasperatedly. "Tell me where it is; I'll bring it to you." 

"Nice try, but there's none to be brought. It's no use keeping cold medicine if I never get sick." 

"Obviously 'never' is an overstatement. You're such an idiot. Wait here; I'll be back." Before Kaiba could argue Wheeler was gone. 

What the hell was that all about? Since when did Wheeler care if he was sick? More intriguingly, why did Wheeler think it was such a big deal that he got better? The Wheeler HE remembered wouldn't have cared if he lived or died. Hell, way back when Wheeler probably would have encouraged his death and pissed on his grave out of spite. Kaiba frowned, both from the mental image and the thought. 

Wheeler wasn't the same. Wheeler was still hotheaded, still loud, and still impulsive - as that little show had proven - but he obviously wasn't as dumb as Kaiba suspected. And he didn't act like he harbored any ill will towards Kaiba at all. If Kaiba remembered properly, they hated each other because their personalities clashed. They didn't butt heads anymore… Had they both changed so much? And who had changed more? 

Kaiba was still considering the answer to those questions when Wheeler returned and set a mug of thin-colored liquid in front of him. "What's this?" Kaiba asked warily. Maybe he was wrong about Wheeler not harboring old hatred, and it was all an elaborate plan to poison him. Wheeler wouldn't have been the first… 

"Good stuff; it'll clear your head up in no time." Wheeler took his seat. "So, how sick are you?" 

Kaiba lifted the mug, eyeing it suspiciously. He sniffed the contents. Lemony. "Sick enough," he answered before taking a small sip. He grimaced. "This is awful." 

"It's good for you. You don't gotta drink it all at once," Wheeler offered. "So, did you get any reading done?" 

Kaiba shook his head. 

"Headache?" 

Hesitantly Kaiba nodded. Wheeler smiled and reached forward, taking the contract. 

"Will you be able to follow if I tell you what it says?" 

Kaiba paused for a moment, staring at Wheeler in surprise. Thankfully that surprise didn't register in his voice; it came out as mild annoyance. Interesting: he seemed to do that automatically. "You're going to read it to me?" 

"Do you mind? It needs to get done one way or another." 

Nice rationalization. Kaiba answered, "Go ahead." Wheeler began read, and Kaiba settled into the role of drinking his medicine and taking notes on things that would need to be altered or omitted. Before long Wheeler stopped. "Is there a problem?" Kaiba asked, irritated by the sudden pause. 

"Any chance that you're hungry?" 

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "By that you mean to tell me that YOU'RE hungry, right?" 

"Uh… yea." 

Kaiba finished his medicine and stood. If Wheeler was going to go through the trouble of reading him his work, he could at least feed the man. "Come on, then; I'm sure there's something in the kitchen." 

Kaiba had never seen someone look so grateful - odd to have the emotion directed at him. "Thanks," Wheeler said as they walked. 

"I should thank you." That didn't mean that Kaiba intended to; by his reasoning he had said enough. 

Wheeler laughed. "Let it never be said that you're ungrateful." It was somewhat relieving that the statement sounded slightly sarcastic. 

They walked to the kitchen, silence punctuated by the occasional low rumble of Wheeler's stomach. When they arrived Kaiba gestured to his cupboard and offered, "Find something." He took a seat at the small table in the corner, watching as Wheeler examined the contents of the kitchen. It didn't take long for the blond to find everything he needed for a sandwich; Kaiba wondered if the man had some sort of built-in food radar. 

"It's weird," Wheeler commented, his back to Kaiba as he assembled his sandwich. 

"What's weird?" This sounded strangely familiar. 

"Us, sittin' here, me eatin' your food like it's normal for us to be friendly." 

Kaiba shrugged and stated the obvious. "It's not normal at all." 

"Nope." Wheeler chuckled nervously. Kaiba didn't blame him; the whole conversation was decidedly odd. "It's not bad… I guess I just imagined that you'd always be a prick, you know?" 

"I always thought you'd be an imbecile." 

Wheeler cringed and laughed shortly. "I think I liked the friendly talk better." 

"Just being honest." Kaiba wasn't apologizing. 

"Yea… Hey, aren't you gonna eat?" 

"I'm not hungry," Kaiba assured him. Wheeler shrugged and sat across from Kaiba, sandwich in hand. He took a bite and stared off in space for a moment. 

"It's nice." 

"Pardon?" 

"Not fighting. I didn't think there'd be a day when you weren't an asshole, so I guess I didn't expect much from you. But this friendly thing… it isn't so bad." 

Kaiba didn't know how to respond to that. After a few minutes he came up with a simple question. "What about you?" Not much of a response, but it would work. 

"Hmn?" Wheeler's mouth was full. 

"You've changed too: developed basic intelligence, calmed down." Now that Kaiba rethought what he said, that almost felt like a compliment. It wasn't how he intended it. "What's your excuse?" 

Wheeler swallowed his food and shrugged. "Just typical growin' up, I guess. School, work, the kid; just life." Another bite of his sandwich, another moment of silence. Strangely, it wasn't uncomfortable. "What about you? What happened to the good ol' Kaiba, CEO with a heart of ice?" 

"I never had a 'heart of ice'," Kaiba protested gruffly. 

"I know." Wheeler smiled sneakily. "Anyone who saw you with Mokuba knew. But that doesn't mean you weren't a jackass. Why did you finally repent from jackass-ism?" 

Wheeler was teasing him. Joking like friends. Kaiba wasn't sure how to feel about that either. He was so unsure of a lot of things… probably just the damn cold. Or the medicine. Perhaps a combination of both; that seemed somewhat likely. "Things just change." 

"That's a shitty answer." 

"It's my answer nonetheless," Kaiba told him, tone firmly and unwavering. He had no intention of pouring his heart out to Wheeler. 

"Eh, whatever." Wheeler finished his sandwich in what had to be record time; Kaiba had never seen anyone inhale food like that, not even Mokuba. "You ready to get back to work?" 

Kaiba nodded, standing. They walked back to the den in silence. 

Sometime before Wheeler finished reading the contract Kaiba realized that the medicine had worked; he was feeling a bit better. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that Wheeler was being helpful. Then again, hadn't people always tried to be friendly with him? He didn't understand why they kept trying. In reverse situations, he never would have been nice to himself; he would have left himself to rot. Sort of depressing when he thought about it. 

"So, how is it?" Wheeler asked when he finished reading. Kaiba handed over the page of notes. 

"That's what needs work." Wheeler looked at the page and snickered. "Is there a problem?" Kaiba demanded icily. He wasn't accustomed to being laughed at. 

"No, it's just funny; you're always so neat, but your handwriting is worse than mine." 

"You're easily amused." 

"Maybe. I'll get to work this." Wheeler gathered up his papers and stood. He seemed conflicted about something, glancing from the door to the desk. After a few seconds he said hesitantly, "Take care of yourself, Kaiba; I don't want to make this house-visit thing a routine. The medicine is on your kitchen counter." 

Kaiba paused. Why the hell did Wheeler have to start acting so damn nice? It threw him, and he didn't like to be surprised. Well, so long as Wheeler was being nice, he could give it a shot too… "Joey." The blond looked back in surprise, and Kaiba continued, "Thank you." If nothing else, it proved that anything Wheeler could do, he could do too. Better than Wheeler did it. 

Wheeler smiled. "Don't mention it. Just get well." 

Kaiba looked at the monitor as Wheeler left. He could see his own reflection in the inactive screen, and he glared at himself reproachfully. Apparently he was not only going soft, but he was getting sentimental too. He studied himself in the monitor. 

At least his glare still had all it's potency. 

**- end chapter six -**

* * *

**- author notes -**  
"Hey! He finally called him Joey!" you might say excitedly.  
I would nod and bounce. 

I figure it'll go a little faster from here, you know? A part of me sort of wishes this whole thing could be seen from Joey's POV; he's doing some ca~razy stuff, and I bet it'd be interesting to see why. I don't know. lol. But in any case, I'm not about to switch POVs in the middle of the story, so it may be that we'll never know. ^^ 

The original version of this chapter included the more detailed events of Saturday, and it was... all fluffy. Crazy stuff; walking in the park again, playing in the snow. I decided that it didn't fit, and I wasn't sure where I was going with that anyway. So I restarted it. I dont know, I have mixed feelings about that first part -- I just think that even Kaiba can't be a sourpuss ALL the time, lol, and if he's ever going to be in a good mood, it'd be while spending the day with Mokuba. 

As for that sick thing... well, I seem to like the idea of people being taken care of. So this was really cute for me -- I thought Joey deciding to read the contract to Kaiba was cute. Maybe I'm strange? But they finally did some friendly talking, and I was excited by that. 

Jackass-ism. Say it with me; it's fun. Actually, there were two other lines before I settled on that one, but they all sounded way too serious for Joey. So finally the word "jackass-ism" popped in my head, and I used it. Fit well with repent. "REPENT! and Ye shall be saved!" Sorry -- ace ventura moment. 

Anyway, moving on... So on Kaiba having bad handwriting. I actually figure he would, if for no other reason than I bet he would rush everything, and his handwriting would suffer. That and it's just amusing. 

I love the last two lines. I think they're fun. So all-in-all this chapter was actually a little more amusing than anything else -- I mean, it did have a plot point, but it's a lot of random fun stuff. Or stuff I thought was fun. ^^;; 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers from chapter five::..  
** Nenya85: whoa -- I figured that chapter five would be the chapter that bored the hell out of everyone, lol. So it's great to hear that you thought so highly of it. And you know, I'm not quite sure what's going on in Joey's head; rumor has it he went to give Kaiba his jacket, but the question THEN stands why did he give a damn if Kaiba froze to death or not? So I suspect he went out to find Kaiba on purpose. ^^ 

Tanya Maxwell: I'm not brilliant, I'm insane! lol. Thanks. :) 

Moi, Pestilience, alostblackcat, ranma higurashi: _Domo_. :) 

Zelda-Jewel: Well then, I say we have ourselves a deal! XD 

Tadashi: haha, sorry for the visual, but it was too good to resist. XD Thanks :) belated 2004 to you too! 


	8. Chapter Seven

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh. she also doesn't have a very good knowledge of corporations/law, and apologizes for any inaccuracies herein._**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Kaiba often found himself contemplating the intricacies of human relations, doubly so since he had returned to Domino. For instance, how could a simple change in how a person addressed someone have such a drastic affect on how they treated each other? 

Of course, he was referring to himself… and Joey, who he had taken to calling by his first name. Somehow that had changed their "relationship"… 

Kaiba hated the word "relationship;" it seemed too formal for the loose ties he kept. And Joey was one of those loose ties. 

He wasn't sure he'd call them friends, but it was more than a mutual truce. Maybe an understanding… or an almost-friendship? In any case, things were definitely different. Too many times Kaiba had found himself in Joey's apartment - or Joey in his home - on business, but the two had lingered together longer than necessary, sometimes talking, sometimes without saying anything. More than enough times they had found themselves on the topic of raising children, or once in a while Joey would tell Kaiba about things that had happened while he was gone: well-loved shops that went under, high school fiascos, people who moved away, people who moved in… 

The most amusing thing was that they were so different - Kaiba didn't think they had a single thing in common. He liked to think in peace, but Joey needed constant noise to keep his brain working. Kaiba didn't like TV, but Joey's was always turned to some sitcom or cartoon or movie. Kaiba didn't do chitchat, but Joey would talk about every thought that crossed his mind. The list could have gone on for days. The only thing they did agree on was that Kaiba Corp. wasn't a family-friendly job. Not that Kaiba pitied Joey - he had been given a fair warning before he took the job that it wouldn't be easy. 

At work things were always the same - there was no change in their professional relationship, and the roles were always the same. Joey was the employee, and Kaiba was the hard-ass boss. It lent itself to irony that they only ever met outside work to discuss work, or to do some work that hadn't been completed in the office. 

The whole concept of a "relationship" with Joey outside work was odd - and Kaiba didn't understand why it had all come with a change in how he addressed the blond. Perhaps Joey was just insane. Kaiba could make sense of that. 

More important than things with Joey, there was the impending Christmas holiday on its way; it was already the twenty-third. Amazing that before Mokuba had returned Kaiba had waited eagerly for the holiday, and now that Mokuba was with him, he dreaded its pass. Mokuba already had his plane tickets for his return trip: the third of January. Kaiba would be alone in Domino again. Not that Mokuba agreed. 

Kaiba stopping typing momentarily, frowning at the memory. 

_"You know, Seto, you're not really gonna be alone here." _

"What makes you say that?" 

"Well, Joey is here at least twice a week." 

Kaiba grunted noncommittally. "That's business." 

"Hm, right. Business." 

"Stop smirking." 

Kaiba grunted and continued his typing. If Mokuba meant to imply that Joey could take his place, then the younger Kaiba definitely had another thing coming. It couldn't be done - and even if it could have been, Kaiba wouldn't have allowed it. 

It was all too frustrating to consider, especially when there was work to be done. It would figure that he had to have Wheeler around to do it. He eyed the clock on the opposite wall. It was eleven. Everyone was still awake at eleven. He searched his database for the phone number - he prided himself on not knowing it - and called without hesitation. 

"Mgh. Hello?" Joey grunted. 

"Are you busy?" Kaiba demanded. 

Joey yawned. "Define 'busy'." 

"I want to discuss this merger." 

"Again?" he groaned, but continued before Kaiba could retaliate. "Fine, whatever. Give me some time to get dressed." 

Kaiba hung up, completely ignoring the small twinge of guilt he felt about waking the blond - and he obviously had; he may have been insistent, but that didn't make him stupid. He printed out what he was working on and headed to the living room, the unofficial headquarters of at-home work. It was half an hour before Joey entered the room with Alex wrapped in a blanket and sleeping against one shoulder. Kaiba scowled - cute as Alex was, whenever he was around it took ten times longer to get anything done. "Yugi couldn't watch him?" 

Joey grunted and set the toddler into an armchair. "It's late, and I don't make a habit of calling anyone after ten unless it's important," he grumbled, obviously irritated. "He's asleep - it'll be fine. Well, hand 'em over." He dropped onto the couch, holding his hands out for the papers that Kaiba was holding. Kaiba set them on the table; Joey retrieved them. A minute passed, then two. "I swear, Kaiba Corp. breaks more laws than I knew existed," Joey finally sighed. "And gets away with it too." 

Kaiba grunted in response. If no one challenged him, who was he to care about laws? 

"And why are you even assimilating this piss-ant company, anyway? If no one's taken you out yet, they definitely won't." 

Kaiba smirked. "It's the little ones you need to be wary off." 

"Freak. That's all that could describe you," Joey's voice trailed off, and Kaiba realized that the blond was dozing off. 

"Wake up." 

"No," Joey whined, eyes still closed. "You're a psycho. Do you ever sleep?" 

"When I need to." 

"That's a no," a voice rang out from the doorway, and Kaiba turned to see Mokuba standing there, half-eaten apple in hand. 

"Do you sleep?" Kaiba countered. 

"Yes - I'm headed to bed here in a minute. I just wanted to come by and say goodnight. Good luck, Joey." 

"Thanks," Joey sighed, opening his eyes and focusing on the papers. "Well, you fired your board of directors, so we don't need to worry too much about THAT… and I don't want to even think about the situation with shareholders," he mumbled to himself. Finally he looked up at Kaiba. "Everything looks in-order. Do you really need me to look it over word for word?" 

"Yes." 

Joey let out a noise that seemed to be a mixture of a moan, a sigh, and a whine. "Do you have any coffee?" 

Kaiba usually would have had someone else make some, but his workers all left at ten. Go figure. "I can go make some. Read while I'm gone," Kaiba ordered, standing. He was in the kitchen ten minutes - just ten! - but when he returned Joey wasn't reading. He was out like a light, feet up on the coffee table, head fallen against the back of the couch, and papers lying ignored in his lap. Kaiba scowled and set the coffee mug on the table. "Wake up," he ordered. Joey grunted but didn't rouse. "I swear I'll fire you." 

"Oh, stop being so mean to your friends," Mokuba said, standing in the doorway again. 

"I thought you went to bed," Kaiba retorted accusingly. 

"I got distracted by the TV. NOW I'm going to bed; I just happen to be passing by." 

"Well, we're not friends. He's my employee; it's his job to be awake and working." 

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "It's almost midnight; cut the guy some slack." 

"Are you begging?" 

"Yes." 

"On his behalf?" 

"Uh-huh." 

Kaiba sighed. "Fine." Someday he was going to find a way to say no to Mokuba… Someday. He looked at Joey again. Blinked. Looked back to Mokuba. "But I'm not tucking him in." He left the room and headed towards his den. 

--

The sun was just beginning to invade Kaiba's den when there was a tentative knock on the door; it was opened before Kaiba could respond. Not that he had intended to, engrossed as he was in the computer. "Uh, thanks," Joey said humbly, taking his usual seat across from Kaiba. 

"Oh," Kaiba said sarcastically, not looking away from the computer. "You mean for not making you do your job?" 

"Well, uh, yea, I guess. And the coffee." Joey held the mug up to show Kaiba, as though validating his story. "I looked over the papers when I woke up - everything's fine. Why do you even need lawyers? You can obviously do it yourself." 

"Overpaid proofreaders," Kaiba responded distractedly. 

"Yea, well, it's fine." There was silence. Kaiba was ignoring Joey, and Joey was shifting in his seat, looking uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for fallin' asleep - I didn't mean to…" 

"I'm not angry," Kaiba retorted sharply. "But I will be if you don't stop interrupting me. I'm glad you did your work. Go home and get some rest if you're so tired - you still need to be at work today." 

"Yea…" Joey stood, started to walk away, stopped. He looked at Kaiba intently. "What are you working so hard on?" He was standing behind the computer chair before Kaiba could close the window. Joey stared for a minute, blinked, and then laughed. "THAT'S what you're so distracted about? Solitaire?" 

Kaiba scowled, moving the ten of spades without looking back at Joey… who was still laughing. "Did I ever say I was working?" 

"Well… no, but you're always so SERIOUS when you're at the computer, I just assumed…" 

"Assumptions get people into trouble," Kaiba snapped. "Even I need a break once in a great while." 

"True. Move the eight." 

"I saw that," Kaiba replied. He scowled when Joey leaned against the back of the computer chair… but he didn't order him away either. They sat there, Joey watching Kaiba play the game, occasionally pointing out moves, always to be told that Kaiba had already seen it. It wasn't a lie; he always saw the move a second before. But there was something strangely peaceful about it. Kaiba never much liked company - and he definitely didn't like having someone looking over his shoulder - but overall the situation was… well, not bad. 

"Hey," Joey said suddenly, breaking the pattern Kaiba had grown used to in the past quarter-hour. "You wear glasses." 

Kaiba shrugged, one finger idly running over the thin frame of his glasses. "Well, if you stare at a computer screen enough, your eyesight will deteriorate." He only needed them when he was on the computer, and he didn't like to advertise his glasses - another weakness, really. 

"I imagine. I just didn't know." 

"Most people don't." 

They fell back into the usual solitaire pattern for another five minutes before Joey broke it again. "Is there any reason we only get along after we work?" 

"Probably not." It wasn't as though Kaiba hated Joey when they weren't working, he just didn't have a reason to see him otherwise… not that he was looking for reasons. Kaiba had better things to do. 

Joey didn't miss a beat. "Then why don't you and Mokuba join us at Yugi's place on New Years?" 

"We tried this holiday thing once. It didn't work out, remember?" 

"That was Thanksgiving; New Years is different. It could be fun. And it's gotta be better than staying home and playing solitaire." 

"I like solitaire." 

"But New Years is a party holiday." 

"I don't party." 

Joey sighed. "You're hopeless. Why does everyone try so hard to like you?" 

_Why are you?_ Kaiba didn't dignify either question with an answer. 

"Well, at least I tried - the invitation is open if you change your mind." 

"I'll remember that," Kaiba answered dryly. "If you hurry home you can get an extra hour or so of sleep." 

"See you in a couple of hours. Red seven." 

"Saw it already." 

"Right. Oh, by the way: Merry Christmas. You know, in case I forget." Joey shook his head and left. Kaiba frowned to himself, moving the red seven. 

New Years… 

Not a chance in hell. 

**

-end chapter seven-

**

* * *

**- ashes thinks... -** (*gasp!*)  
"I don't get it," you might be thinking.  
"I think it was supposed to be a little funny," I'd reply, but in reality I'm not much more sure than you. 

Really -- I suppose that this was actually supposed to be funny, so if it does nothing else (which it SHOULD have done something else, heh), I hope someone laughed. 

Before we get into this part, I'm going to share a thought. So as we're waiting for Kaiba & Joey to hop into bed (believe me, they don't make it easy, lol), it occured to me -- getting them together is only half the battle. That being said... I'm beginning to wonder how long this story is going to be... Geez, how did such a small idea get so out of hand? I guess it's like lighting a match in a room filled with gas. At least it's fun! XD 

A quick short story -- my computer tried to be anal and not let me open the document, and for a ten minute period I despaired and thought all was lost (not entirely lost; i have most of the rough stuff in my notebook, but still, a lot of stuff gets changed from notebook to computer...). Luckily, I'm smarter than the computer, and the document was saved. Everyone dance! 

I have discovered that it is largely a pain in the ass to try to write Kaiba's reflections and what he's doing at the same time -- and I love every second of trying to do it, lol. So hopefully that's working without too much confusion. ^^;; 

So I actually HAD to do research for this part (I've been avoiding it as much as possible; these law books are horribly boring, lol), and I'm beginning to suspect that Kaiba Corp. breaks more little laws that conceivably possible, lol. But hey, it's a fictional company, so it's not too big a deal -- I just wanted to poke a little fun at it. 

Solitaire! Well, I figured broody as he is, even Kaiba needs a light side, and he needed a small break from broodiness. Credit on the idea of Solitaire goes to Hanachan -- I was originally thinking Tetris. But you know, there's something deep about the game solitaire, especially considering it's Kaiba playing it. So ten points to Hanachan! I wonder if she thought of that, or if it was just a whim... 

Kaiba and glasses... well, that was explained there in text: even the great Seto Kaiba's eyes are subject to the laws of... damage? Is there a law about how computers can ruin one's eyesight? Hmm... but anyway, just seemed like something that could have happened over the years. 

So I found myself wondering why Joey was inviting Kaiba to another holiday when we all can guess that the last one wasn't so pleasant. Then I realized it -- it's very simple in the fact that Joey is the one inviting him. When Yugi invited Kaiba over for Thanksgiving, Joey sort of blew it off as payment for wasting Kaiba's night. This time it seems that he was making a genuine attempt at being friendly (and getting shot down, lol). Exciting stuff. 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers::..** (lovely people that you are! *heart*)  
tanya maxwell, black luna, ranma higurashi, tadashi, denisse, lady kaiba, angelstarfire: :) thanks. (I need a new word for thank you. like, omfgiloveyou or something. lol. ...right, I keep forgetting, not funny ^_~) 

angel-belle: _arigato_. and people are a little too hard on jou for being... *cough* a little special sometimes, lol. 

pestilence GH: is joey/seto like an epidemic or something? (actually, I'm sure there are people out there who would argue that it is -- any takers?) XD that'd be a disease I'd be willing to die of. ^_~ 

evil windstar: it is a funny world. but thank you! ^^ 

fire dragon of darkness: no worries on length of review; I have nothing better to do with my time, lol, and it's fun to read people's thoughts. and yea, you made sense. 

iteria: _hai_, we're headed the KaibaxJou route here in the near future. thanks for reviewing! *bow* 

nenya85: why thank you. ^^ I liked the ending of the last chapter (though I think I already mentioned that); I figured Kaiba wouldn't go easily into being nice. strangely, the christmas tree thing just happened -- originally I didn't even mention that there was a Christmas tree at all, but it snuck in when my back was turned or something, lol. XD 


	9. Chapter Eight

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh._**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Christmas was gone. 

It was New Year's Eve, and Mokuba was searching the house in search of some "good" alcohol to go into the New Year with; none of Kaiba's arguments were deterring Mokuba's determination to drink. So he had resigned himself to sitting on the couch with Mokuba and watching TV. If nothing else, it renewed his distaste for the appliance. It didn't serve a purpose; even the news was repetitive and didn't give enough information. They only watched the Weather Channel once, just long enough to learn that the roads would be icy, and that everyone should drive carefully. Kaiba rolled his eyes and informed Mokuba that it didn't matter since they wouldn't be driving. 

"We're at least watching the countdown," Mokuba said, all smiles and songs. Why was he singing anyway? What was there to be happy about? It was just another year, another twelve months to idle away. More birthdays would pass, more companies would be taken over, and then they would do it all again… 

"Whatever." 

They watched the countdown, reminisced about New Years gone past… Though Kaiba pointedly ignored Mokuba when he mentioned Kaiba's twenty-first New Years. It wasn't a particularly fond memory, mostly because Kaiba didn't remember it at all. And from the looks of it, Mokuba wasn't going to remember the holiday either; he had a bottle of champagne between his knees, drinking from in contentedly in random intervals. It may not have been a very refined way of drinking, but the way Kaiba saw it, drinking itself wasn't refined, so why bother? Besides, the bottle was all Mokuba's; he didn't intend to drink, especially if he had to make sure Mokuba wouldn't make too much of an ass of himself – and judging by the rate Mokuba was downing the bottle and the things he kept saying, Kaiba would have his work cut out for him. 

At 11:59 Mokuba started counting the seconds all the way from fifty-nine. By twenty-five Kaiba was ready to smother him with a pillow. At ten Kaiba was beginning to doubt his decision not to drink. 

"ZERO! Happy New Year!" Mokuba launched at him, knocking him back on the couch and kissing his cheek. 

"You're too old for that," Kaiba said, but despite his scowl, his voice was warm. 

Mokuba laughed and sat up. "Well, you're supposed to have someone to kiss you at midnight, and we're all we've got tonight… just don't tell anyone; I don't want to know how girls would act if word got out that I kissed my brother." 

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I seem to remember a time when you used to beg me to shoo girls away." 

"All boys grow up someday, Seto." Mokuba grinned and teasingly patted his brother on the shoulder. "Let me know when you catch up." 

Despite his usual demeanor, Kaiba flushed red. "Don't be an ass," he chastised, even though he knew it hadn't been a malicious comment. 

"I didn't mean it," Mokuba said, immediately changing from teasing to repentant. "I bet next year you'll have someone to kiss you – you know, really kiss you." 

_I doubt it._ "Idealistic of you," he replied. 

"I must have gotten all the idealism for both of us," Mokuba retorted, standing; he only swayed a little on his feet, and he was surprisingly steady as he tugged Kaiba's wrist. "C'mon, we need to go out. It's New Years, we're supposed to party." 

"I hate parties." 

"One night," Mokuba pleaded with big eyes. Big begging puppy-dog eyes. "I don't want to sit around the house all night, and I know everyone is celebrating at the game shop – Yugi called and told me. Please?" 

Kaiba growled. "Fine." 

He really intended to figure out how to say no to Mokuba. 

--

The Game Shop looked more alive than Kaiba had ever seen it. He hadn't thought that Yugi knew very many people, let alone enough to have the place so loud that it bordered on disturbing the peace. "Who are these people?" he asked Yugi, standing beside the slighter male with scowl on his face. Mokuba immediately disappeared into the crowd. 

"I have no clue," Yugi laughed, taking a sip of his drink. "I didn't plan this – it was all Duke and Joey. Those two get along pretty good when they want to wreck my house." 

"Why is that funny?" Kaiba wouldn't be laughing if someone took the liberty of throwing a party in HIS house. 

"Oh! Didn't he tell you? They're going to be brothers soon, and most the time they do nothing but fight." 

Kaiba blinked. "Oh." He wasn't sure who to feel more sorry for: Joey, Duke, or the sister marrying Duke. 

"Yea!" Yugi looked around. "Hey!" he called to someone, raising his hand in greeting and sauntering off; Kaiba was left leaning against a corner alone. He did what came instinctively – searched for an exit. The backdoor seemed to be the closest. He found the most direct route and went, brushing past laughing people and drunk people; they all tried to offer him a drink, and each time he had coolly refused and kept walking. 

He had never been so relieved to be outside, cold as it was. He looked around the small backyard. The snow looked like it had been romped in more than once; there was a lopsided snowman in the corner. A fence bordered the yard, and there was a badly shoveled pathway running straight to the gate. The gate led out into another street. Actually, a walk sounded good; it was bound to be quieter than the house behind him, and Mokuba would be busy for hours. Kaiba looked back towards the house, through the glass doors. Mokuba was nowhere to be seen in the crowd, wouldn't even notice if he left… Kaiba shrugged and started down the walk. 

Just his luck that he slipped halfway and landed flat on his back. He lay still for a minute, resisting the urge to groan. Of course: if the roads were icy, then the sidewalks would be too. He probably should have thought of that sooner; he could have saved his pride AND his body a couple of bruises. The worst part was that it hurt – he used to be able to take harder hits than that. 

"Are you okay?" 

Kaiba hadn't even heard the backdoor open. "Huh?" To his surprise he saw Joey standing over him, smiling amusedly. 

"Okay? You know, not hurt?" Joey leaned in, offering his hand. "I fell there earlier. Damn ice." 

"Hm," Kaiba weighed his options, then reached up and took Joey's hand. Strange – for a lawyer Joey had fairly rough hands. All the lawyers Kaiba had known were soft-skinned and gentle in their movements, yet Joey's grip was firm, with none of the finesse that Kaiba had come to expect from corporate weasels. 

That was the hand that pulled him upright. 

It was a shame that the owner of the hand couldn't keep HIMSELF upright; before Kaiba could find his balance he was down again… atop Joey. Kaiba blinked. How cliché. 

"Ow," Joey groaned. "I hate ice." 

"Whatever," Kaiba said softly. Why wasn't he more upset? It didn't make much sense. Then again, who could complain about a cliché when it was warm and close? Curious that he thought that was a good thing. 

_"Life isn't about knowing what the future holds; it's about a series of chances."_

Kaiba cocked his head to the side. It was as though he could hear the words playing back in his head, like a tape set to go off at just the right time. 

_"You can take those chances, or you can let them pass."_

Hm. Wise of his younger brother... the advice was more useful than Kaiba had first realized. He saw his chance – his opportunity – and mulled over those words. He could take it... or he could let it pass, perhaps never to be had again. Joey was staring at him: not terrified, or even curious, but almost confused. The moonlight was good to him, painted his features well... Made him look very kissable. It was a good thing Kaiba wasn't afraid of a risk. He leaned down, capturing Joey's lips in a hesitant kiss. 

He wasn't sure what he expected. Just what could a person expect when he was kissing his lawyer? 

_"...you can't predict any outcome."_

Maybe he hoped that Joey would return the kiss, pull him closer and beg for more. Kaiba remembered having that effect on a couple of people in his life, but he never remembered actually wanting it. Even an "Ew, no," would have sufficed without surprise. Actually, that was what he suspected would happen; the man he was kissing had a kid: that indicated straightness. 

When Kaiba considered it – moments too late, their lips still pressed together somewhat awkwardly – kissing Joey wasn't the most logical thing he had ever done. In fact, it had to qualify at the opposite end of the spectrum. But even in that case, Kaiba didn't expect to be shoved off so violently that he barely caught himself enough to sit upright. He didn't expect Joey to stare at him, expression unreadable, wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape. 

"Uh... I'd better go check on Alex," Joey said quickly, pushing himself to his feet. Kaiba watched as he all but ran away, fleeing back into the house. He even slipped a little on the ice, but either by luck or sheer will to get away, he stayed upright. 

Damn. There was another mistake that Kaiba would have to take care of. The last thing he needed was tension at work. 

He would worry about the "whys" of what he did later. 

It took a minute to regain his composure, to slow down his mind long enough to appear aloof as always, and when he reentered the shop no one seemed to notice. He didn't see anyone he recognized, and he wasn't about to start asking random people if they had seen Joey – that would be desperate, and desperation was one thing that he refused to follow. He looked around, looked for the usual signs that there was a child nearby – cooing, women gushing, messes – but found nothing. In fact, it wasn't at all the environment for a child… but there was a flight of stairs off in one corner. Perhaps upstairs… He strode towards them without hesitation, not bothering to find Yugi and ask permission. 

There were bedrooms upstairs, and Kaiba could see a bathroom at the end of the hallway. Something was off. 

Smoke. He could smell smoke. It was faint, but it was definitely there. Joey was upstairs, and he was nervous – that was at least a small consolation. He took a moment before he located the source of the smell: a room next to the bathroom. Kaiba entered without knocking, without warning… but he did hesitate, just for a second. 

Joey was sitting on the windowsill, feet dangling outside, elbows resting on his knees. 

"Isn't there ice on that too?" Kaiba asked. He saw Joey cringe and decided to stay where he was standing. The lights were off, but in the moonlight Kaiba could see that the room was designed for an infant, the one that Téa never had. It would be a logical place to hide. Kaiba looked around, but didn't see Alex. It was something of a relief. 

"I hope not," Joey murmured. "I'm not quite ready to die yet." 

The silence seemed to stretch on for hours, but it was probably only a minute, two tops. Kaiba didn't like it – it was too awkward, too weird. He had never been in a situation quite like it, and he hadn't come prepared for a learning experience. Exactly what was he supposed to say? He didn't even know why he had done it! 

"Look, that was a little…" Joey cursed under his breath, looking up into the sky. "I… Hmm… Shit." He took a drag off his cigarette, and Kaiba was glad that he was on the other side of the room – the smell was bad enough where he was standing. "It's not that you're not…" Joey paused, swallowed audibly, but didn't look back. "It's just that… I just… have a really bad track record when it comes to… uh, relationships and shit." He sounded almost ashamed. Kaiba wanted to tell him that he was jumping the gun: an impulsive kiss wasn't some request for something more meaningful. Yet he didn't interrupt Joey's story. "Girlfriend to girlfriend… Hell, I got married and divorced in under a year when I was nineteen. I don't suggest it – it's not pretty." He laughed humorlessly, looked at his all-but-gone cigarette. He swore and threw it out the window, moving his gaze to the ground. "After a couple years of a couple meaningless and flat-out bad relationships I gave up on all the love bullshit, figured if monks and nuns could go entire lives without sex, then I could give it a shot – you just need something to devote yourself to, right?" He shook his head, chuckled dryly. "Then I met Alex's ma. Man," he said wistfully, looking up at the sky again, "that woman made me think that there was such a thing as love at first sight, so I told myself I'd make a special exception for her, that I'd give it a chance. Well, that blew up in my face, and after that I said no more special cases, no more hoping. Nothing involving love ever goes well." Joey's shoulders sagged, and he leaned heavily on his knees. It was hard for Kaiba to tell from his angle exactly where he was looking, but it wasn't down or up; his eyes seemed fixed on the horizon. "And I've been called a bitch more than enough times for saying this, but I'm sick and fuckin' tired of being hurt." His words were bitter, and he finally pulled his legs into the room, turning in but not facing Kaiba. "At least I have something to be devoted to now." 

_Alex. _

Kaiba snorted and shook his head. "Don't read so much into it – I regretted it before it was over." 

Joey nodded. "And I've been drinking." 

That was a lie; even if Kaiba hadn't known that Joey didn't taste like alcohol, he knew that Joey didn't drink much, if at all. But whatever made things seem more logical. "Bad habit." 

"I have a lot of those." Joey looked down at his watch. "It's late – I need to go home if I'm going to be up in time for a work tomorrow. See you." Joey jumped into the room and closed the window. He walked right past Kaiba without even glancing at him. In Kaiba's experience, anyone who wasn't willing to meet his eyes had something to hide. But he didn't want anymore of Joey's secrets; the one he had shared was entirely too intimate for comfort. 

He looked around the room again, sighing. Well, he was alone; time to figure out what the hell he was thinking. He saw a lone rocking chair, beside a crib. A monument to a life that could never be… Kaiba couldn't bring himself to sit there – instead he found a corner to lean against. 

He could chalk it up to nerves. He was trying to figure out why they were getting along, and Mokuba would be leaving soon. It seemed possible that he might do something impulsively if he were distracted… but not likely. Getting along with Joey wasn't distracting enough to make him lose his senses, and Mokuba's departure was painful, but not necessarily distracting. 

He threw that theory out. 

Surrealism, perhaps; he had always hated when life took on dreamlike qualities. He liked firm colors, harsh lights, and blunt realities. The backyard had certainly been surreal, with the moonlight and the soft colors, the snow blurring the edges of the night. Hell, even Joey had looked surreal, confusion on his face, skin bathed in the moon's silver light. It was a pathetic cliché, but it made enough sense to Kaiba to decide that it had to be right; it must have been like a dream for him. 

He always had done bizarre things in his dreams. 

"Hey, Seto," Mokuba called, leaning into the room; he tried to grab the doorframe and ended up twirling around it almost majestically, laughing. "We need to go." 

"Any reason?" Kaiba asked, but he wasn't arguing. He stood straight, stretching. 

"Well," Mokuba stretched out the word and giggled, "I've been drinking, and…" 

Kaiba tuned the rest out. "_And I've been drinking._" He grabbed his babbling brother around the shoulders and guided him down the stairs, thinking the whole way. There was a second thing he had in common with Joey. 

They were both willing to lie for their pride. 

**- end chapter eight -**

* * *

**- notes & ramblings -**  
"Holy shit," you might say, "something actually HAPPENED."  
"Yea... about time, huh?" I'd reply. "It should start to pick up from here... I think..." 

First off -- I don't mean anything by Mokuba's kiss other than exactly what it was -- slightly drunken goofiness on his part, and just a little brotherly affection. ^^ We already gave Kaiba his brotherly-angst in a different story, lol. But on his teasing Kaiba... I thought it was kind of cute. heh... :) 

Actually, that scene where Mokuba talks to Kaiba about kissing someone on New Years was the reason I wrote "At Midnight"; I thought up that clip early on in the story, and I knew that when it was written here it wouldn't be very happy. I wanted to write something a little more light-hearted on the topic... and so that story was born. ^^ 

So I keep approaching this idea of Kaiba being unable to say no to Mokuba... just because I think it's funny to see him thwarted by something as simple as his own devotion. ^^;; And I suspect Mokuba is even a tad bit manipulative. Then again, most 26 year olds I've met are pretty devious, lol. But on the topic of Mokuba, Kaiba, and parties: every time there's been a party and Kaiba refuses to go (in my stories), he always ends up there one way or another. Someday I'll have to write something where he actually doesn't go to the party, lol. 

Duke & Serenity -- there's actually a small history of this in my head that never has a place in the story. Actually, I ought to write it, lol. But I actually wondered about this; I figured that Serenity would end up with either Tristan or Duke in this story... and somewhere along the line Tristan switched sides on me, lol. As was once again mentioned in the chapter-that-is-no-longer, "...before Serenity got engaged to Duke she was with Tristan… but, in Wheeler's words, that 'lasted all of ten minutes before Tristan changed his mind.'" *thinks that's funny* 

So the usefulness of Mokuba's rant from Chapter Five was painfully predictable... actually, I think the whole kiss is cliche, and you know, I'm happy with it that way -- sometimes life is cliche, you know? It's not always different. But it's not always the same... I don't know. Maybe that's a cop-out? lol. But can we say "melodrama"? Haha -- actually, the original part with Joey telling the story of his distrust in relationships with a lot more morbid. But I like the way he tells it for some reason. Maybe I'm being an angst-junkie, lol. 

I haven't quite figured out why Kaiba dislikes smoke so much -- it was just something that kept popping up. 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers::..**

lightning sage, ranma higurashi, eyes0nme19, jenniyah, tanya maxwell, denisse, dream-chaser668: _arigato_. *bow* 

angel-belle: hey, you ARE at both sites. lol. ^^ 

pestilence gh: ... so what's goin' on in that head of yours? ;) lol 

unica the black raven: I'm sorry to have interrupted your complaint, lol. ^^ But thank you. I still haven't figured out where Yami is. 

tadashi: yea, Kaiba seems to be doing a lot of that thinking thing. ^^ 

gyrrlgenius: lol, i'm glad it's not boring. I really worry about that. 

nenya85: ^^ Thanks; sometimes I worry about those little things, so it makes me smile to see that they interest you. 


	10. Chapter Nine

**_ashes doesn't own Yu-gi-oh, but I think this far into the story, you've seen this enough times to know that. ^^_**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Kaiba didn't talk to anyone about the kiss – not Joey, not Mokuba, no one. The only person he conferred with was himself… Not that he would ever admit to talking to himself. 

A part of him wished he had been drunk, if only a little bit, just enough to blame alcohol for his impulsivity. All he wanted was a simple reason for his momentary stupidity, a simple reason that didn't involve him thinking about it anymore than he had to. Awfully smart of Joey, lying about being drunk; at least then he didn't have to form a decent excuse, whereas Kaiba couldn't quite move past it. 

There was one thing that bothered him more than his action, and that was Joey's reaction. 

_"It's not that you're not…"_

Those words, that line… Kaiba was a lot of things, but exactly which word had Joey been searching for at that moment? Given the situation, Kaiba was pretty sure that the adjective of choice wasn't "an asshole." But no matter how many times he told himself that he didn't care what Joey was thinking, he knew it was lie – he was curious. 

It was a curiosity that he didn't pursue. They stopped working together outside the office. Inside Kaiba Corp. they were always professional, but outside Kaiba didn't know what to expect, didn't want to know what would be said, what the accusations might be… It was kind of a shame – Mokuba had been gone for nearly a week, and he had that entire house to himself again. He damned himself for it, but he had grown accustomed to having his privacy invaded. Him. Imagine him, used to company. If he had been in a better mood he would have laughed at the absurdity of it. 

But he wasn't in a good mood: he was confused, irritated, tired, and sitting alone in his office at 9:37 PM. To add the list of things that were getting on his nerves, he was out of coffee and had to talk to Joey. It simply was not his night. 

He went for the coffee first, taking his time drinking it. He was almost hoping that by the time he finished it Joey would have left – Joey never stayed late. At 10:19 Joey was still at work, arms splayed over his desk, head resting on his upper arm. He was absently twirling a pen in his fingers, staring at it. 

Not Kaiba's night at all. 

"Do I pay you to do nothing?" Kaiba demanded from the doorway. 

"I'm done workin'," Joey replied lazily, not looking away from the pen. 

"Then why are you here?" 

"Killin' time. Serenity invited our mom over to play with Alex, and I'm waiting for the all-clear call." 

"All-clear?" 

Joey let out a small snort of laughter. "Let's just say I avoid my mom when I can." He kept his focus on his pen as he sighed. "I mean, I guess she's not bad, not really – she did what she could, given the situation – but it's hard to reconcile with a woman who just leaves you, no matter how much she loves you. Doesn't help much when she talks either." Joey pitched his voice a little higher, obviously imitating his mother. "Oh, he's so beautiful, Joseph! You remind me so much of your father back when you were Alex's age." Joey frowned. 

Kaiba was inwardly amazed: Joey managed all that self-pity without moving his eyes away from the pen. He sat in a chair, waiting for Joey's tirade to end. He wasn't sure if it was because he cared or because he wanted Joey to get past it so they could work; he hadn't decided how he felt about Joey's habit of pouring his heart out. 

"So," Joey sighed again, "I guess since you're sitting that means you need something, right?" 

"Figures for – " 

"Folder." Joey nodded his head towards a folder on the desk. Kaiba picked it up, surprised to see that it was what he was looking for. That had been easier than he thought it would be. 

"Good." 

"Yea – I may not understand anything you do outside Kaiba Corp, but I think I've gotten the hang of your professional routine." 

Kaiba stood to leave. 

"Hey, you ever noticed…" Joey paused and finally looked up at Kaiba, still moving the pen in his fingertips. "If something is too far away you can't see it, but if it's too close you can't focus on it. Did you ever notice that?" 

"Of course," Kaiba said impassively. "That's common sense." 

Joey didn't look away, didn't flinch under Kaiba's tone. His mouth opened as though to speak, but just before any words came out the phone rang. Kaiba left as he reached for the phone. 

--

It was midnight before Kaiba finally gave up on work and made his way out to the parking lot. He was surprised to find Joey leaning against his car, playing with his lighter. "I swear I'll fire you if you're smoking," Kaiba warned as he approached. 

"I'm not," Joey swore, holding his hands up; the lighter was held between two fingers. 

"Good. What the hell are you doing here?" 

"I… waiting for you," Joey admitted. He didn't look embarrassed. 

"It's midnight." 

"Oh. Uh, well… I didn't realize it was so late." 

"Any reason?" Kaiba asked impatiently. 

"I wanted to know if you were interested in coming over Saturday," Joey blurted. "Not for business, just… friend… like stuff." 

"Planning another get-together with 'the guys'?" Kaiba asked, a slight sarcastic edge to his voice. Yugi had tried to invite him a couple of those, but he had always declined. 

"No, just… us. We could discuss politics… or something." 

Kaiba would eventually have to tell Joey what a horrible liar he was. First the drinking, then 'discuss politics': pathetic. He chose to ignore the implications of Joey's question. "Why?" 

"Just curious." 

"Curious?" Kaiba questioned disbelievingly; he had suspected that Joey's reasons were a bit more illicit. 

"Yea – wondering if we could get along in a normal situation." 

"And why should that matter?" Kaiba countered. He might have enjoyed the whole question-and-answer session if Joey had been more nervous; as it stood he didn't look nervous at all. He looked calm, nonchalant, prepared for anything. Not very like him at all. 

"Maybe it doesn't," the blond replied with a shrug, "but it'd be nice to know. You don't have to… just drop by if you feel like it." Joey didn't look at all discouraged as he walked to his car – he even waved as he drove off! Kaiba went into his own car, started the engine, but he didn't drive off. He stared off into space, one question circling his mind. 

_What the hell was that?_

Did Joey presume that because of one kiss – a kiss that Kaiba had told him he regretted! – that they would magically be friends? Of course, then there was the simple fact that a kiss usually implied more than friendship… not that Kaiba meant it that way at all. 

And Kaiba was focused on that damn kiss again, with a new question attached to it: what had he meant? Did it mean anything? He sank down in his seat, returning to Joey's question instead of his own. He could go, have a horrible time, and have a good excuse never to be alone with Joey ever again. Then again, he didn't need an excuse NOT to go – he was under no obligation to do anything. He cursed softly to himself. 

Damn life. Just when he thought he had things figured out, it had to throw him another twist. 

**- end chapter nine -**

* * *

**- notes -**  
... I got nothin'; what ARE you thinking? lol. 

I think this is the shortest chapter thus far; it's one of those chapters that's supposed to transition. There's one in everything I write, lol. Given the length (or lack thereof) of this chapter, I'm going to try and have chapter ten up sooner than usual; I just need to run through it a couple of times. 

So I have these ideas about Joey's relationship with his parents, but that's not so important at the moment. ^^ 

Kaiba & self-pity... doesn't strike me as his style; he keeps looking down on it, lol. 

Random comment: in the rough draft, we're currently fighting (literally, it's being such a pain in the ass) with Chapter 20, and we're nearing the conclusion of things. maybe more like a climax? (hey, not that kind - -at least not then! lol) Just to give you some idea of where we are in the story. 

* * *

**..::reviewer responses::..**  
lightning sage: thank you! ^^ I was a bit concerned that Mokuba's advice tied into the chapter wouldn't work quite right, lol. 

pestilence GH: *dramatic* I knew it! XD lol, thankies! 

bladegryphon, lilrubydevil, alostblackcat, xiaolang's ying fa, ranma higurashi, tadashi, shadow-demon18b, lady kaiba, angel-belle, gyrrlgenius: _arigato_ ^^ 

tanya maxwell: careful about that smiling thing; it hurts your cheeks after a while. ^^ omg, when I read "discover your inner gayness!!" I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed... so on and so forth in that manner. It amused me. ^^ thanks. 

millenniumdaggerholder: whoa, who woulda thought what? *looks around dramatically* lol. ^^ 


	11. Chapter Ten

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh or super nintendo_**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Kaiba dropped by Joey's apartment around one in the afternoon on Saturday. He found himself staring at the door for at least five minutes, weighing his options carefully. He could turn away and never know what could happen, or he could knock and prepare for the worst. 

The whole situation was Mokuba's fault – all because of his advice: it was an outcome of a chance that Kaiba should have passed up. In fact that very moment tied into Mokuba's idea; whether or not he knocked on the door was another chance, another risky outcome. 

The web of connections was mind-boggling, even for Kaiba. 

Finally he brought his hand to the door and knocked. Thirty seconds passed; the silence went undisturbed. Kaiba frowned and knocked again. Nothing. "Son of a bitch," Kaiba swore under his breath. So Joey must have been toying with him, seeing how far he could push Kaiba… Quite crafty of him, but amateurish; Kaiba was hardly bothered by the false invitation. In fact, to hell with him – Kaiba had better things to do than wait around. He went to the elevator, and he wasn't acting any more cross than usual… 

But he was fuming. 

He waited impatiently for the elevator, staring at the elevator door as though it was to blame for his new state of agitation. After a few moments it opened to reveal Joey with the kid sitting on his shoulders and McDonalds bags in his hand. For a minute they just stared at each other. Well, Kaiba glared, and Joey gawked in surprise. 

"Hi," Alex said, leaning down onto his father's head. 

"Hello," Kaiba replied. Joey shook his head slightly, seeming to finally come to his senses. He opened his mouth to speak… 

And the elevator door closed. 

Kaiba reached forward to press the button again, hoping the door would open, but no such luck – the elevator was headed up. Kaiba mentally did the math in his head of how many floors there were in the building, estimating how long the elevator would take based on which floor had called for it… He sighed and leaned against the wall, tapping his foot impatiently. So it hadn't been a false invitation… Or did Joey come back too soon? Kaiba's foot hit the ground a little harder than he meant to, and he stared down at it. He quit tapping and focused on the elevator doors. After another minute they popped open again, and Alex ran out, laughing and holding one of the brown paper bags. Joey followed at a more sedate pace, smiling sheepishly at Kaiba. 

"I didn't think you'd actually come," he admitted. 

"I can leave," Kaiba replied tersely, still slightly frustrated that Joey hadn't been there to begin with; he hated bad manners. 

"Don't." Joey's tone was simple: not a plea, not a demand, but just a request. Kaiba nodded and followed to the apartment, taking his usual seat in the armchair while Joey dug some food out of the bags. Kaiba didn't take his jacket off – he didn't expect to stay long. 

"You hungry?" Joey asked. 

"No." Kaiba even made a face of disgust, one of the few faces he didn't mind making in public. "How do you eat that junk?" 

"We don't usually, but the only thing Daddy hates more than cleaning is cooking, right Alex?" Kaiba stared at Joey, surprised by the sudden change in tone – playful, loving. Kaiba hadn't paid much attention to Joey's tones, but that was one he had never heard. It was sort of… 

_Cute._ Kaiba grimaced at the thought. 

"Yeah!" 

Joey laughed and set some food on the coffee table for Alex; the toddler stood in front of the table and grabbed a handful of fries, shoving them in his mouth. Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "I'm starting to see the family resemblance," he said evenly. 

"Holy shit," Joey commented, mocking awe as he dropped down onto the loveseat and took a burger from the bag in his lap. "Kaiba's hidden sense of humor sees daylight." 

"Go to hell." 

"I'll work on that. Are you sure you're not hungry?" Kaiba shook his head, and Joey shrugged and stretched his legs out over the loveseat, taking a bite of his food. A moment passed, and Kaiba found himself watching the kid; Alex was playing with his fries, making them talk to each other. Without warning the boy looked up at him, smiling. "Bite?" he offered shyly, holding out one fry. Joey laughed again. 

"See, even he thinks you should eat something; we have plenty." 

"I ate earlier." 

"Earlier when?" 

Kaiba had to consider that question. "Last night." 

"Are you always like this?" Joey asked, his voice a mixture of awe and annoyance. "How are you still alive?" 

"I have better things to do than die," Kaiba said. He was going to hit Joey if he didn't drop it – he didn't like people fussing over him like his life was anyone else's business. 

"Well eat now; I don't need you dying of malnutrition in my living room." 

"You're overreacting," Kaiba snapped. "Why don't you police your kid and leave my eating habits to me?" 

Joey sighed. "Fine. But for the record, I don't need to make sure he eats – no matter how much he plays with his food, it'll always end up in his mouth." More silence passed, and Joey finished his food. Kaiba was beginning to wonder what he had been thinking when he decided to visit. 

"So tell me about yourself." 

Kaiba looked at Joey; what seemed to be genuine curiosity painted the blond's face. He shrugged. "What's to tell?" 

"I don't know… what'd you do while you were gone?" 

"The same thing I do now, just from a distance." 

"Then why come back at all?" 

Kaiba leaned back in his seat. "Rumors, disorder, people trying to take over in my stead. They were saying things like I was really dead, and that monkeys had taken over Kaiba Corp. I decided to come back after that." 

"Oh." 

Kaiba didn't find a response to that – not even an insulting one – and fell back into silence. Another minute passed. 

"Why are you so hard to talk to?" Joey demanded in frustration. 

"I don't do idle talking." 

"Well, OBVIOUSLY, but it doesn't hurt. C'mon… what about your first kiss? Every guy has that story." 

Kaiba stiffened, but Joey didn't appear to find the topic at all awkward; perhaps that was due to some density on Joey's part. They glared at each other for a minute before Kaiba relented. "My first kiss was when I was twenty, and Mokuba set it up." 

Joey whistled, "Harsh. You'd think girls would be lining up to let you in their skirts." 

"They were," Kaiba answered sardonically. "I just had better things to do than them." 

That must have been amusing, because Joey was laughing so hard that he couldn't talk right away. "I see," he finally managed. "So was she hot?" 

"He was alright." There: that was in the open, and Kaiba took some pride in seeing Joey nervous for a second, shifting in his seat. Then the moment passed. 

"I see," he repeated. 

"Is that a problem?" Kaiba challenged. 

"Not at all," Joey answered. "In fact, I…" He flushed but grinned, and the blush quickly faded. "Alright, I have Domino History 101 for you. So it was Serenity's twenty-first birthday, and she wanted to go drinking – everyone wants to when they turn twenty-one. Well, the last thing I want is my baby sister getting trashed in some bar, so I told her we'd invite everyone to my apartment and throw a party, alcohol included." 

"I thought you didn't drink," Kaiba interrupted. 

"Not usually – I did for the party. She was dating Tristan… it hadn't been more than a few weeks, but given how long they'd been 'friends', it seemed like forever. Well, Bakura, little queer that he is, offered to save everyone some money and bake her cake, and Tristan wanted to play good-boyfriend and help. So I left them alone, went to buy some alcohol, and when I come back the cake is in the oven, and those two are on my couch finding creative uses for frosting." 

Kaiba smiled at the irony of it – good boyfriend indeed! – but didn't laugh, not like Joey was. "Was it that funny?" 

"Not at the time – then I gave Tristan the black-eye of his life. I mean, the last thing I wanted to say was 'Happy Birthday, Serenity; your boyfriend is cheating on you with another guy!' I dunno, he swore that the frosting thing just happened… So I made him promise to tell her the sugarcoated version of the truth and break up with her. I'll be damned before I see my little sister strung along, no matter how much I like the guy. But you know, it went okay – my sis is great; she wished them well, no hard feelings. Sometimes I wonder if she just went out with him to spare his feelings, you know? 

"The next day Bakura and I traded furniture – he got the couch and I took the loveseat you see here." 

"Was there that much damage to that couch?" 

"No damage, but every time I sat down I got the mental image of Bakura licking frosting off Tristan's–" 

Kaiba interrupted, "I get the idea. Yugi told me that your sister's engaged now." 

"Yup," Joey said, obviously less than thrilled. "To dice-boy himself." 

"He's charming." 

"Oh, yeah, CHARMING, and a womanizer, and an asshole. If Serenity didn't love him I would've kicked his ass by now." Joey snickered. "Anyway, that's another something you missed. Your turn." 

"My turn what?" 

"Tell a story," Joey said simply. "Any story." 

"I don't have any stories." 

"Well… what about sex?" 

Kaiba shook his head to make sure he heard right and stared at Joey disbelievingly. 'What?" he demanded. 

"You said your first kiss was at twenty – have you gotten some yet?" 

"My sex life is none of your business!" Kaiba snapped, ready to stand up and walk out. The kissing conversation had been uncomfortable and personal enough, but sex? Was that the sort of thing his friends talked about? Even for friends that seemed a little too personal, and considering that he didn't actually consider Joey much of a friend, it was well beyond their comfort zone. 

"Okay," Joey replied, holding his hands up in surrender. "Too personal, I get it. So… Do you play games still?" 

"Of course," Kaiba responded as though it was the dumbest question anyone could have ever asked. All things considered, it probably was. 

"Nintendo!" Alex called out happily, looking at Joey hopefully. Kaiba's mouth formed silently around the word – almost like a swear word to him, outdated as Nintendo was – and he looked towards the TV instinctively; that was where Mokuba had always kept his games. Sure enough he saw an old Nintendo system on the floor. "That… THING is older than us," he said, distaste filling his voice. "And I don't even want to START with the graphics." 

Joey laughed, slipping down onto the floor and moving to sit in front of the TV, setting the old game system up. "Yea, but you can't duplicate some of these games and I have a lot of memories attached to the old system. When I was little we got it when it was new – fresh stuff – and when I got older… well, it kept me out of some trouble. Not enough, but a little." Joey's lips pressed into a firm line for a minute, but the spasm seemed to pass, and he turned to grin at Kaiba. "So I got a few fighting games down here; wanna come get your ass kicked?" 

Kaiba raised an eyebrow in question. "You? Kick MY ass?" 

With a conspiratorial grin Joey nodded. "I play this all the time, and you don't. I have the advantage." 

That sounded like a challenge if Kaiba had ever heard one. It was a pitiful excuse for a challenge, but it had been too long since he'd had one at all… He finally slipped off his jacket, leaving it in his seat as he went to the ground, picking up a controller. 

"You're on." 

--

An hour passed, and Kaiba grinned smugly. Joey hadn't stood a chance. 

"How?" the blond demanded heatedly. "How the hell?" 

"I have stuff like this down to an art," Kaiba explained, tone as arrogant as his expression. 

Joey just fumed. "Damn it, and here I thought I had a chance." 

"Not with me," Kaiba said. "No one has a chance with me." 

Joey stared at him. He blinked a few times and then said, "Yea, that's probably true." 

Without a clue why Joey's tone was suddenly subdued, Kaiba looked to the clock. "I should get back to work; I didn't intend to stay long." 

"You work too much," Joey said casually. "I don't know how you do it." 

"It's my life," Kaiba responded with a shrug, standing and brushing off his pants… completely unsure of where the crumbs clinging to the fabric had come from. He wasn't so sure he wanted to know. He turned to retrieve his jacket – only to find Alex sleeping on it. 

"Oh. Nap time," Joey said quietly. Kaiba shook his head – what a forgetful parent. He had never forgotten when Mokuba needed to sleep, or do homework, or anything of even the mildest importance. He reached down, picking the toddler up, off his jacket. He smiled; the task of lifting a sleeping toddler had been much more daunting when he was younger. 

"This is yours," he commented softly, offering the toddler to Joey with a slight nod of his head. The blond nodded and moved to take him – for a moment they were too close, and Joey's hands brushed his forearms by accident. Odd, the tingle that simple touch sent through Kaiba's nerves... 

Once Alex was safely in his father's arms Kaiba backed away, pulling his jacket on. "Thanks for coming by," Joey said; he took a small step forward, then looked down at the boy in his arms and seemed to think better of it. "It was fun," he admitted. "I should challenge you to a rematch someday." 

"Hmph. Maybe." 

"See you Monday morning." 

Kaiba nodded and left. He made it to the elevator before he had to stop focusing on how many steps it took him to get there, and was instead faced with the strange occurrence of that sensation in his forearms. He stared at them. Could he still feel that faint tingle, or was he imagining it? 

_Foolish. _

Any 'tingle' he might have felt was purely his imagination, nothing more. His imagination hadn't overacted in a long time – strange time to start up. Once he was in his car Kaiba looked up at the apartment building, almost instinctively to where he knew Joey was. 

_"It was fun."_

Kaiba uttered a short string of creative curse words. Joey was right. 

It hadn't been bad at all. 

**-end chapter ten-**

* * *

**- notes -**  
Everyone tip your hats to Sarasusa, who was super!kind and offered to beta this for me. *dance* It makes me happy. Yay!! 

You might be doing a jig or something... I am; this chapter was fun to write! 

Okay, so who remembers the notes for Chapter Four, where Joey's line was that the TristanxBakura story involved a package of cherries? Yea, well, we changed our minds, lol. Just squaring that away -- I forgot about the mention of the cherries in the notes. I suck, lol. 

Am I the only person who found Joey's questions & stories in this particularly suspicious? lol. 

Nintendo! I worship the Super Nintendo, lol, and somewhere along the line I got to comparing Nintendo technology and Kaiba Corp. stuff... and just laughed and laughed and laughed. XD 

OH! Quick note: the rough draft is (almost) done -- it comes out to 22 chapters and the epilogue (which what I'm currently grappling with). So we're about halfway through the story right now, unless I do some serious reworking. 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers::..**  
shadow-demon18b, barbedwire23, ren-chan581, colycarissa, shadowfire, lightning_sage, darkmus: _domo arigato!_ *shall not sing, shall not sing, shall not sing...* =D 

Tanya Maxwell: hey, can I have a cookie? I'm hungry. ^^ lol, anyway, thanks. There were about three different scenes with that line in it before it finally settled on that one. :) 

Angel-Belle: like writer's block; life LOVES that twist. > Ebony Opium: lol, I do that a lot with pens too. When I'm not chewing on them. Or throwing them. Thankies. :) Tadashi: at least we're all not having special thoughts equally, lol. ^^ thanks. 

((ashes apologizes for any and all corny jokes involving 80s music. XD)) 


	12. Chapter Eleven

**_ashes does not own yu-gi-oh_**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Early January turned to early February without any drama, and Kaiba's life was just like it had always been - work, home, work, home... With one minor addition, a particular blond one that always seemed to stick around a little longer than necessary. At that moment the blond was sprawled out on the couch, reading a book. By all logic he should've left nearly half an hour ago - when he had finished his work. Of course, neither Joey nor Kaiba had made that observation; they just let the situation slide. 

"Hey, I'm not going to be at work tomorrow," Joey said suddenly, looking up from his book. 

Kaiba glared over the top of his laptop. "Excuse me?" 

"Tomorrow's Serenity's wedding," Joey said as thought that explained everything. 

"I thought it was in the afternoon." 

"It is, but she's gonna need me around; it's a big deal for her." 

"And if I say you can't skip work?" 

Joey shrugged. "I'll quit; Serenity is more important than work. Besides, I don't think it'll be that drastic - I'm sure we could arrange something." 

Kaiba shook his head. "Your pocketbook probably can't handle either option." The next thing he knew Joey had thrown his wallet over into his lap. He stared down at it. "Nice aim." 

"I was going for your head," Joey admitted. "Anyway, it's not empty." 

"You had to use it as a projectile to prove that?" 

"Well... oh, fuck it, just throw it back." 

With a smirk Kaiba shook his head and slipped the wallet into his back pocket. "Nope." _Come and get it._ The subtle flirtation didn't surprise either of them. After all, they had been doing it ever since that day in Joey's apartment. 

Kaiba found the whole process masochistically fascinating. It had started as a simple game, just like so many other things in Kaiba's life. Just like so many mistakes. 

At first he was driven by simple outrage over that imagined tingling in his forearms; he had been out to prove that he could be just as bothersome as Joey. He had said it before, and he would say it again: he could do anything Joey could do. Better. But Joey flirted back, and though he didn't show it, Kaiba was surprised. A little surprise never stopped him; he continued the game as though it had been expected. 

It never got out of hand, but it seemed intense, at least to Kaiba - some people might not have recognized that they were flirting at all, subtle as it often was. Somehow his anger over the tingle incident faded, and he came to a shocking and somewhat disturbing conclusion: he had grown to enjoy Joey's advances. He liked the idea that someone had the guts to try despite his demeanor - it seemed to indicate that Joey cared. It probably wasn't about Joey at all; maybe he just wanted to be cared about. Plus it was amusing to watch Joey flounder when Kaiba said or did something just a little more suggestive than usual. 

So Kaiba changed the game, just enough to suit his needs; it became less about being tantalizingly unattainable and more about driving Joey into making the first move. Kaiba didn't approach anyone - he never had in the past, and he didn't intend to start. All he had to do was wait for Joey to make a move - and then he would win. 

Kaiba just wished that the idea of winning didn't make him so damn nervous. 

"Hey! Give that back!" Joey protested from his perch; he hadn't moved. "Just because you're my boss doesn't mean I won't kick your ass." 

"Hmph. Whatever." Kaiba resisted the urge to cringe; he was practically begging Joey to touch him, even if just to steal back a stupid wallet. Still, Joey took the bait; Kaiba barely had the chance to move his laptop to safety before Joey tackled him, intent on wrestling Kaiba into giving back the wallet. 

"C'mon, you ass," Joey grunted, trying to get hold of Kaiba's wrists long enough to pin them behind his back. "Don't make me reach for it." 

That sent a shiver down Kaiba's spine, but instead he shoved Joey away - almost playfully, but hard enough to send Joey reeling off the loveseat. "You'd have to get me down first." 

Joey nodded solemnly, standing and making a show of brushing off his shirt... and then he launched himself towards Kaiba again, grinning like an idiot. Kaiba barely scooted to the side, and Joey's shoulder connected with the back of the loveseat at full speed; the whole thing tipped back, depositing the two men to the ground in a blur of movement and laughter - Joey's laughter, to be exact - all ending with a loud thump. Joey was sprawled awkwardly on the floor, laughing breathlessly as though he'd just gotten off some ride. Kaiba sat up on his knees, rubbing his head. 

"You idiot," he groaned. Before he could come up with something better to say, he felt a hand dip into his back pocket; he caught Joey's wrist, and the blond's eyes widened when he caught on to what Kaiba had realized immediately. "Wrong pocket." 

And there they were, staring at each other, Joey just one-step short of groping him. 

"Uh..." Joey was rapidly turning red, and Kaiba released his hand. Joey stood, moving to right the loveseat. Kaiba just sat on the floor, watching the blond curiously; it was interesting how easily the blond seemed to have forgotten about his wallet. "So," Joey continued once he had the furniture righted; he turned to Kaiba and leaned back against it. "I'd better get out of here; Bakura's probably itchin' to get home. Are we cool about tomorrow?" 

Joey was probably serious about quitting, and Kaiba would rather give him the day off than see him leave. "Fine, but only if you come by after the wedding to catch up on anything you might have missed." 

"Thanks!" Joey said brightly; the embarrassment he had been exuding seemed to be forgotten. "It's a deal. Hell, I'll even bring you a piece of cake." 

"Are Tristan and Bakura making it?" 

"That's wrong!" Joey crinkled his nose. "I hadn't thought of that. Great, now every time I look at the cake I'm gonna see them goin' at it." 

With a smirk Kaiba muttered just loud enough so Joey would hear, "Consider it a learning experience." He knew by Joey's dumbfounded expression that the blond had caught on, and he knew that Joey wouldn't reply - when it came to some asides, he always seemed to be at a lack for words. Kaiba took out the wallet, holding out. Joey snatched it back, shoving it protectively in his own pocket. 

"I..." Joey smiled nervously. "I'll see you later." He left in a hurry, and Kaiba returned to his laptop. 

--

As it turned out, Joey didn't really miss anything. Kaiba could have cancelled the whole work session, but the way he saw it, he could get in some good hits while Joey was half-asleep and sappy from the wedding. 

It was around almost eleven that night when a yell sounded through the hallway. "Alex, hush! It's late," Joey's scolding followed. "No, right here! Alex!" Footsteps rushed by his den door, and Kaiba shook his head in both amusement and frustration. Joey was never flirty around Alex and wasn't particularly receptive to it either. After a few minutes the footsteps returned, and Joey entered with a squirming toddler tucked under one arm and a small saran-wrapped paper plate in his free hand. 

"Isn't it past his bedtime?" Kaiba asked, printing the document he intended to have Joey look over. 

"Yeah, well, he's had a lot of sugar; he'll calm down here in a bit, and nature'll take its course," Joey replied testily. 

"Hi," Alex greeted, waving from under his father's arm. Without waiting for a response, he kicked his legs, laughing wildly. "Put me down!" 

"Fine," Joey said, plopping the kid down on a couch against the far wall. "Now, Daddy's gotta work, so it's time to lay down and be quiet." 

"No," Alex responded smugly, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Yes," Joey commanded. "You are going to lay down until I'm done, understand?" 

"N-" 

"Don't," Joey interrupted sternly, pressing a few fingers over Alex's mouth. Kaiba raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the display - it was the strictest he had ever seen Joey act as a father. He grabbed a couch pillow and set it near Alex, and his tone was no-nonsense as he continued, "Lay down." Surprisingly the boy obeyed, pouting as Joey took off his jacket and laid it over him as a blanket. 

It was almost a Kodak moment as Joey kissed Alex's forehead and said, "G'night." 

"Night," Alex mumbled dejectedly. 

Joey stood and took his usual place across from Kaiba, scowling. "I'm exhausted, cranky, and I want to get this over with as soon as possible," he explained shortly. Kaiba frowned and pointed to the printer. Joey nodded and handed over the paper plate - a piece of cake, complete with a little plastic fork. Nice gesture, but Joey wasn't even the least bit playful - how disappointing. Kaiba shook his head and returned to his work. 

What the hell was he thinking, being disappointed? He shouldn't have expected anything; expectations led to failures, and relationships had always failed in Kaiba's world. He looked at the cake. Actually, it didn't look half bad; he had a soft spot for sugar. He unwrapped the cake and took a bite. He let the fork hang loosely from his mouth as he typed; even he couldn't eat and type at the same time. He paused after a minute and took another bite... 

He caught Joey looking out of the corner of his eye. Maybe there was hope after all. Kaiba went back to typing, tongue idly playing with the fork. He didn't know exactly what to do; he didn't eat much, let alone suggestively. Luckily whatever he had done was enough; Joey shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stared at the papers as though nothing else existed. 

But when Kaiba took another bite, he caught Joey glancing up again. Just as the fork descended towards the cake again, Joey stood. "I need to use the bathroom; I'll be right back," he said hurriedly. By the time he returned, Kaiba had finished eating, and they returned to their work. After half an hour Joey said triumphantly, "Done." He dropped the papers onto the desk. "Flawless as usual. Ass - I could have been sleeping." 

"Then go sleep." 

Joey stood, and uttered, "Oh shit. Where'd he go?" Kaiba looked over, and saw that Alex wasn't on the couch. He must have been a sneaky kid if he'd been able to leave without either of them noticing. But where Kaiba was mildly amused, Joey looked like he was vacillating between panic and annoyance. "Did you see him leave?" 

"No." 

"Well, can you help me look for him?" 

"Why would I?" 

"Because if you don't it's going to take me all night to find him; your house is too damn big," Joey growled. 

With a sigh Kaiba stood. "Fine - let's go find him." 

The search was insane - they spent as much time hurling insults and blame at each other as they did seeking out potential hiding places. They weren't even halfway through the house when Kaiba hit the breaking point. "Enough. To hell with this; your kid, you find him." 

"Oh, you're going to leave me unsupervised in your house?" Joey was all but yelling. 

"I'll know who to press charged against if there are any problems," Kaiba retorted, turning on his heel, prepared to walk down the hall to his room. 

"Fuck you! Where do you think you're going?" 

Kaiba finally resorted to shouting. "Bed!" Joey ought to have been honored - Kaiba didn't shout very often; he usually didn't bother wasting the energy. Maybe it was game-over: no winner, no loser. That would be the best outcome for all involved. After all, Kaiba had probably imagined the idea that Joey cared, just like he had imagined that damned tingling... 

But Joey was following him to the bedroom. Pity; had they been playing, Kaiba could have gotten some major points there - if there had been any formal point system. "Go look for your son," Kaiba ordered as he opened his bedroom door. He stopped in his tracks. Alex was curled at the end of his bed, using the robe that one of the housekeepers had laid out as a blanket. 

What were the chances of that? 

"Not until you-" Joey ran into Kaiba, apparently not noticing that the brunet had stopped. "What are you - oh. There he is." Immediately Joey seemed to have calmed. Kaiba rolled his eyes; parents had the strangest emotional reactions. Even he hadn't been quite that irrational. "Damn... sorry..." Joey pushed past Kaiba, headed towards the bed. 

Kaiba ignored the shiver the momentary contact had sent down his spine. "Leave him." Joey stopped and looked at him curiously. Kaiba entered the room, crossing to the closet to find a blanket. 

"I can't; he's never stayed anywhere but Yug's place, and if he wakes up all alone - " 

"I never said he'd wake up alone." 

"What?" 

Kaiba's back was to Joey, and he smirked, a smirk that was gone when he turned. "You said you wanted to sleep; lie down." 

Joey turned the most interesting shade of pink, then white; the color change was probably one of the most amusing things Kaiba had seen. "Oh. Are you sure?" 

"I never doubt myself." Joey just stood there, staring at him as though he were speaking a foreign language. "Oh, stop staring and just get into bed." 

Kaiba retreated to his bathroom. He showered before he returned, and was pleased to find Joey sleeping; the lights were off, and Joey was lying on his stomach. Actually, he looked asleep, but his breathing wasn't right; he was still awake. 

Kaiba smiled. _Perfect._ He took his place at the opposite side of the bed - as far from Joey as humanly possible. 

"W-what?" Joey gasped, and Kaiba turned his back to the blond. 

"I have no intention of giving up my bed - it's big enough. Just stay there," Kaiba explained casually, closing his eyes. He smiled to himself - he definitely had the upper hand, and all he had to do was stay in bed; he didn't even have to move. Joey fidgeted for a minute. 

"Fine," he finally said, and he sounded calmer. _Damn._ "Whatever." 

--

Sometime during the night Kaiba woke up with a swift kick to the back of his leg serving as an alarm. He rolled over, fully prepared to shout at Joey for waking him - even half-asleep his first instinct was to take the offensive. Considering that he didn't sleep often, he didn't appreciate having that rare time interrupted. At all. 

But Joey was snoring softly, sprawled out comfortably. Whereas he had started near the edge of the bed, he was now much closer to the middle - much closer to Kaiba. 

Kaiba leaned in to examine the sleeping man's features, but it was too hard to see in the dark. Maybe it was because he was half-asleep, or maybe it was just because he was curious, but he wondered what he would see. He reached over to the nightstand and turned on the lamp. Joey's features crunched against the invasion of light, but soon smoothed over - and Kaiba just looked. 

Considering Joey smiled so much while awake, his sleeping frown seemed out of place. His hair fell messily around his face, over his forehead and eyes. He was on his stomach, face half-buried in the pillow that he grasped with his left hand. 

Kaiba stared, brow furrowed in thought. It wasn't a bad sight to see upon waking. In fact, when Joey wasn't talking... he looked nice. Attractive even. Kaiba had liked the idea of Joey caring, even liked Joey's hands (strange as that sometimes seemed), but he had never looked at Joey as wholly attractive. It was a new idea to mull over... 

He shook his head, looking over to his clock. It was a little after six. The sun would be rising soon. He looked back to Joey. 

The frown didn't look unhappy when Kaiba thought about it. It looked more... perplexed. Unsure. 

He turned out the light, but found himself still looking at where he knew Joey was resting. Kaiba was still watching him sleep when the sun rose. The moment was more or less ruined when Joey shifted in his sleep, moving precariously closer to Kaiba; one foot mingled with his own, invading the warm space that he had created in the blankets. Kaiba hissed and kicked the offending foot away - Joey had cold feet! 

Kaiba swore softly as Joey's eyes fluttered open. The blond yawned and looked at Kaiba blearily, blinking rapidly. "Mornin'." He yawned again, and then his eyes focused, widening as he looked at Kaiba. "Oh." 

They were within arm's reach. 

"You toss and turn more than anyone I've ever shared a bed with," Kaiba told him seriously. He paused, and then added for emphasis, "Any one." Just to make sure he made his point. 

Joey smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." 

"Whatever; go back to sleep." 

"Why?" 

_Because I was watching._ Kaiba grunted. "It's early." 

"Nah, I'm awake now," Joey answered, stretching and yawning again. One arm nearly hit Kaiba upside the head, and he caught Joey's wrist for the sake of saving himself a headache. 

Joey stared at the hand gripping his wrist, eyes wide - as though it somehow bothered him. Maybe it did. 

Kaiba's free hand touched Joey's cheek, coaxed the blond to look at him. Brown eyes met his and widened further; Kaiba felt the skin under his hand warm with a blush. For a moment Joey was the perfect image of a deer in headlights. Kaiba smiled cockily. 

He wouldn't know what hit him. 

"Daddy," came a low whine, stopping Kaiba before he had moved to do anything. He released Joey's wrist and took back his hand at once; Joey sat up quickly. 

"Yeah?" 

Alex looked up at Joey, rubbing his eyes. "I gotta go potty." Joey looked to Kaiba, and Kaiba pointed towards his bathroom door. 

_Damn._

Kaiba found himself wondering where his resolve to win had gone. If he had kissed Joey, then - by his own rules - he would have lost. And if he had lost... would the outcome really be any different? If his goal was affection, did it matter who won or lost? What was his goal? And how exactly had he managed to lose himself in a game that he designed the rules of, a game that was really all his? Unless the game had never been his to start with... 

He did the most child-like thing he had done in a long time; he buried his face in his pillow and just sighed. He was ready to go back to sleep and pretend it was all a dream. There was a reason there weren't many relationships in his past. 

"Kaiba..." He looked up from his pillow - glared, really - to see Joey standing by the bed, looking down at him curiously. "I'm gonna head home," he said. He sounded confused. A little lost. Hesitantly he reached down, and Kaiba resisted the instinct to flinch away as Joey brushed some hair away from his eyes; fingertips trailed along the side of his face, and Joey watched him intently. 

_Get down here so I can kiss you._

For a second Kaiba wondered if he had spoken aloud; Joey leaned in a just a bit... 

The toilet flushed in the other room, and Joey backed away. "See you," he said quickly, turning away. 

Kaiba turned back to his pillow, smiling sneakily as he listened to Joey move around the room, heard him talk to Alex, and he heard the door close as they left. 

He understood. He'd be right the night before; they had reached a game-over, but not because of any maliciousness. Another game was starting; a more complicated game, a riskier game, and both players knew the change - the way Joey had been acting convinced Kaiba of that. 

His smirk widened. 

He intended to be prepared for anything. 

**-end chapter eleven-**

* * *

**- notes -**  
No doubt you noticed that it probably took me longest to updating this chapter, and it wasn't even particularly extraordinary. Well, if you're like me, you want someone to blaim.   
First and formost, it was Hotmail's fault -- this probably could have come up sooner had Hotmail not gobbled it up the first time I tried to send it to Sarasusa for beta'ing.  
Then, it's all me; it took me a few days to stick it in intensive care and fix it up.   
So... sorry! *meek* 

Thankies to Sarasusa for beta'ing this -- it was a lot of help! *thumbs up* 

I tend to see the analogy of relationships & games with Kaiba & Yami, but Kaiba might view any sort of relationship as a game. But originally Kaiba JUST realized that he liked the flirting in this chapter... but I guess he didn't like that, because it quickly changed. Hopefully it isn't too abrupt -- then again, some things are abrupt, lol. *cop out* No, actually, I like the way the chapter led into itself, and explained it. So, uhm, like it with me? 

So at this point I sort of realized that I thought of Joey as less of a father-figure and more of a bachelor with a three-year-old roommate. Which he is, but I figured he'd be a litle more responsible than that. So he decided to show his more paternal side here. 

This was very odd, but the scene with Kaiba & Joey ending up in the same bed because of the kid was in my head forever. Sort of ironic that the kid interrupts them later. ^^ I have mixed feelings about how it worked out, but ultimately I liked it (obviously, or you wouldn't be reading it, lol). 

I think that cold feet is an interesting phenomena of sleep that no one ever talks about, lol. 

I was rereading the earlier chapters of this story and was amused that Joey was almost painfully calm until things started getting more tense. XD 

Lol, I seem to note people like Alex. ^^ That makes me happy; I was worried he was going to be too obstrusive for people to like him much. *insert sigh of relief* 

Random Story-Related-Story: so I have a friend who was bored, and I whored this out to him, lol, and then LAUGHED my ass off and how many little errors he kept finding. I suck at this proofing thing. Definite thanks to the beta's of the world -- y'all rock my socks with your hard work. XD 

* * *

**..::review responses::..**  
shadow-demon18b, johnny_depp_luv, ranma higurashi, girl of grace, kaneda-shotaro and Yami Tetsuo, lightning sage, coleycarrisa: _arigato!_

tanya maxwell: yay, cookies! I can't bake to save my life. -_-;; Super Mario was the greatest; I still love to play it over some of the other games that have come out. 

tadashi: ^^ I *heart* kids. As far as stories... *whistles innocently* ^_~ Lol, sorry to have disturbed you with the icing thing; I rather liked it. Made me want some frosting, which is amusing because I actually don't like it too much. *thumbs up* 

darkmus: haha, hopefully I didn't try your patience too much with this one, then. Your fangirl-face made me laugh my ass off. ^^ 

Trandy Green: I finally updated! XD Sorry it took so long. Thanks -- I didnt know there was anyone at my site, lmao. ^^ 

Chronicles Bailey: Yes, yes, that thanksgiving thing is very true; 'tis why I'm cheating and telling things from the dub perspective -- since the show seems to presume that it's in the states, I figured I could sneak the holidays by. ^^;;; Shh, yer not supposed to catch me on that. But thank you. *thumbs up* 

Angel-Belle: Lol, yea, Kaiba sounds like a D personality. 

Fire Dragon of Darkness: *does the snow day dance* lol. Thanks. 

Reana1: aww, don't cry. *pet* It's not supposed to be ENTIRELY sad, but it does have it's sad point. It's kinda weird trying to write them grown up, but I've been having fun. ^^ 

Rhocke: Thanks. So I don't know exactly where the Yami's ARE, but I have come to the conclusion that wherever they are, it isn't with Yuugi/Ryou where they belong -- quite sadly. My theory is that they've moved on, but in the instance of this story, I don't actually know. ^^;;; But no, you didn't miss anything -- we've been cleverly avoiding the topic. It gets BARELY mentioned later on, though. 

nenya85: lol, I like that words go over Kaiba's head. ^^ You know, somewhere in my head I still think of Mokuba as "the little guy". I can't help it, really; when it comes to him and Kaiba, what else can he be imagined as, you know? Thanks! :) 

who ever: haha! I didn't even catch the frosting/sugar-coated thing. Funny, and jokes sneak in there behind my back. ^_~ Thanks. 

gyrrlgenius: okay, so this update was slow. ^^ Yes, we're picking up! *bounce* Actually, another one of my favorite chapters is coming up, so this is getting to be quite a bit for me, lol. 

Sorrow/Dark Star Goddess: yay, cookies! XD This shall be my new mantra. lol, s'all good on the reviewing -- it happens. *thumbs up* thankies thankies. :) 


	13. Chapter Twelve

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh_**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Kaiba was on his way to work when the following Monday when his cell phone rang. He had to dig through his jacket pocket to find it; he hated getting phone calls in the car. "Kaiba," he answered briskly, keeping his eye on traffic. 

"I'm sick," Joey announced. "I won't be in today." Kaiba raised an eyebrow to himself. Joey sounded glum, but not sick. Avoidance? He hadn't been by since Friday – then again, Kaiba hadn't called either. 

Called? Jesus Christ, his internal monologue was starting to sound like a soap opera! He cringed and said the first thing that came to mind: "Bullshit." 

Without missing a beat Joey amended, "Fine then: the kid is sick, and it's only a matter of time before I get it. I wouldn't want to spread it; it'd reduce productivity." 

Kaiba retorted sarcastically, "Somehow I don't believe you." 

"It's true." 

_Liar._ "Oh well, we'll have to deal. Have your sister watch him and get your ass to work. You skipped work Friday, and we're not going to let this become a habit." 

"Serenity's still on her honeymoon." 

"Yugi then." There had always been someone willing to watch Joey's imp in the past, so Kaiba wasn't going to buy some bullshit excuse now. 

"He's..." 

The silence stretched on too long, and Kaiba stopped at a red light. "Hello?" he barked, increasingly irritated with each passing second. 

"Never mind," Joey snapped. "I'll be in." The conversation was obviously over, and Kaiba was left to stare at his own phone in confusion. 

The light turned green, and Kaiba began to drive, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat. 

Joey definitely had some explaining to do. 

--

Traffic was terrible that morning; it took Kaiba nearly half an hour to make it to work – as if the conversation with Joey hadn't pissed him off enough. He stormed up to his office, stopping long enough to address his secretary. "Send Joey in as soon as he gets here." 

She looked at him curiously; after a second she turned back to what she had been doing. "Understood." 

Kaiba hadn't even started his computer when Joey entered; he didn't look any happier than Kaiba felt. "Marianne said you wanted to see me." The blond's voice was entirely too even, especially considering the way he had been acting over the phone. 

"You don't look sick." 

"You found me out," Joey shot back, quickly losing any façade of composure. "I'm not. That all?" 

"Any reason for lying?" 

Joey was quick to answer: "It's none of your business." 

"Given that you work for me, I think it is." Here were two things Kaiba hated: dishonor and lying, and thus far, Joey wasn't doing well on either count. 

"I'm just having a very bad day," Joey explained, his voice painstakingly flat. 

Kaiba was relentless. "It's not even nine." 

"Goddamn, can I just go to work? I'm here, I'll work, just..." Joey sighed. "Just forget it." 

Kaiba studied his lawyer carefully; the situation was getting too personal, and that wasn't how he ran business. He had better things to do than deal with what appeared to be an emotional train wreck. "Go." 

Joey didn't need to be told twice; he left the office as though he couldn't stand to be there another second. 

_There's something very wrong with you!_ If it hadn't seemed so sophomoric, Kaiba would have yelled it after Joey the door closed. 

But the whole situation raised one question: what was wrong with Joey? Kaiba sulked, fingers pounding down on the keyboard harder than necessary as he typed. Plain and simple, it looked like a change of heart. Maybe last Friday things had gone too far, and Joey wanted to back out; maybe he couldn't handle the pressure. Kaiba smirked humorlessly. Joey probably snapped like a twig under stress, and there was no greater stress known to man than Kaiba. 

Of course, what bothered Kaiba was that he usually he wasn't stupid enough to actually get into it himself without being sure the other's intentions, and yet... He was somewhat disappointed. 

_Stop moping._

Kaiba nodded to himself. He was Seto Kaiba; if he was that starved for affection, he could find much more worthy sources than Joey. 

Right. He grinned smugly, digging through the papers on his desk, looking for some graphs he needed... His secretary must not have brought them yet. He pressed the button to call her. 

No answer. 

He made a face and tried again. After a moment he stood and sighed, going to out to address her personally. Only she wasn't at her desk. He peered into a nearby office. "Have you seen..." he gestured towards her desk, "...Marianne?" 

The woman in the office nodded. "She took some stuff to the lawyer for me." Kaiba went to Joey's office. When he arrived the door was slightly open, and Marianne's voice flowed out to him. 

"...and I can understand that it's all very confusing, but trust this old woman: I'm sure everything will work for the best." 

"I hope so," Joey replied mournfully. Kaiba stood and listened, not bothering to hide it – his company, his rules. He figured he had every right to listen in. "It's just... I can't stand to see him go. I mean, he's one of the most important people to me; we've been together for so long! I... I didn't think we'd ever be apart." 

"It happens," Marianne replied sadly. "I need to get back to work or big bad boss-man'll be angry." 

_Big bad..._ Kaiba scowled, despite his pride in instilling fear in his employees. 

"I don't even want to get started on the topic of Kaiba," Joey muttered. "But thanks, Marianne." 

"Anytime." 

Kaiba backed away from the door; Marianne didn't seem to see him right away. "Big bad boss-man?" he asked incredulously, crossing his arms over his chest. 

She looked up at him in surprise but smiled. "I didn't coin that; you've been called that since you were seventeen." 

"Hmph. Mind giving me some insight into what that was all about?" He began to walk towards his office, and she followed, heels clicking lightly on the floor with every step. 

"I thought you didn't like gossip." 

"I don't, but if it's cutting into productivity, it must be worth knowing," he retorted sardonically. It didn't seem to faze her at all. 

"He's just a little bummed out." 

"Why?" Kaiba asked, trying to sound more aloof than curious. 

"His friend's leaving, patching up some family issues; he's headed to Seattle on Friday." Marianne shook her head. "Poor kid just found out." 

Kaiba almost stopped in his tracks, but managed to check his surprise and keep walking. He made it to his office and entered – without even remembering why he had pursued Marianne to start with. 

Seattle. So Téa had run all the way to Seattle, and Yugi intended to follow. But Joey... 

Kaiba's frown deepened. Joey was going to be miserable to work with if the morning had been any indication. The last thing Kaiba needed was a moping lawyer – it would be counterproductive. 

Seattle... He could arrange something. He pressed that damn button for the third time that afternoon, and finally got the desired response; Marianne entered promptly. "Yes?" 

"Send Joey." His tone barred any argument her pity for Joey could have thought up. 

She nodded. "Yes, sir." She was gone as quickly as she had entered. 

Kaiba sat at his desk, looked over his files, all the associates and allies he had made over the years. He could definitely arrange something in Seattle – all he would have to do was say his name. It was sort of a shame... He had just started getting used to things with Joey. 

The door opened, and Joey looked in at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You wanted to see me... again?" 

"Close the door and sit down," Kaiba ordered evenly. Amazing; he almost sounded bored. Joey complied, taking a seat opposite to Kaiba. "Yugi leaves Friday, right?" 

"How...!" Joey sighed, slumped a bit in his seat. All fight was gone from his voice as he answered, "Four in the afternoon." 

Kaiba looked at his computer, knowing that his expression was as dull and bored as his tone. "I have some connections in Seattle; I could get you a job there." 

There were at least two full minutes of silence before Joey croaked, "What?" 

"You can pack up and follow Yugi in two weeks. Just say the word." Kaiba didn't look at Joey, didn't need to; he knew the answer before the words even passed Joey's lips. 

"No." 

Or maybe he didn't. "And why not?" he demanded. It wasn't often he made such offers; he didn't like using his name for anything, and he didn't appreciate being turned down. 

"I don't need anyone doin' me favors, and I ain't quittin' a good job. If that's all, I'll be getting back to work," Joey proclaimed heatedly. 

"Dismissed," Kaiba snapped. Fine. Let the damn– 

"Besides," Joey added softly, standing and turning to leave. Kaiba saw him take a breath before he finished, "I got a couple good things to stick around here for." 

Kaiba was stunned to silence as Joey left, the admission ringing in his ears. What exactly was that supposed to mean? Surely Joey couldn't be referring to Kaiba Corp; he bitched about that as often as he possibly could. What did that leave? Domino, other friends... 

_...me_? 

Kaiba shook his head. Ridiculous idea. It was one thing to hit on each other, but the concept of Joey passing up an opportunity to be with his best friend... Kaiba couldn't fathom that. He automatically began to work – he always thought best while he was working. 

--

Kaiba didn't warn Joey that he was going to visit; he just showed up at ten. Joey looked like he had been sleeping when he answered the door; his hair was tousled, and he was clad in plaid pajama pants and a black t-shirt which looked like someone had taken a few stabs at it. "Were you sleeping?" Kaiba immediately kicked himself – it sounded entirely too... sensitive. No one ever got information by being sensitive. 

"Tossing and turning. Something wrong?" 

"What in Domino is worth staying for?" Kaiba asked. 

Joey blinked. "Well... Why do you care?" 

"I made an offer I expected to be taken up on. I don't do favors often." 

Joey paused, gaze flitting between the dimly lit interior of the apartment and Kaiba. "Come in." They took their usual seats, but Kaiba sat straight, and Joey stretched out on his loveseat and yawned. "So Téa finally admitted that she missed Yugi as much as he missed her. Their anniversary is coming up in March, so I guess that added some tension to the mix. It's a good thing – I don't think they've ever been apart this long. It turns out that she crashed with some cousin in Seattle, then later got a job, got her own place. Yugi always said he'd leave in a heartbeat for her..." 

"And so he is." 

"Yeah. He's trying to find new management for the game shop." 

"Is he selling it?" Kaiba sounded a little more eager than he meant to. 

"Never; his Grandpa would come up from the grave and kick his ass. He's going to keep control from Seattle... He hopes they'll come back. I don't think they will," Joey added dejectedly. 

"Then why not follow?" _Back on topic._

"I got a kid to think about – I don't want to uproot him on a whim and drag him half-way across the country; this is his home... and it's my home, whether I like it or not. And I like my job–" 

"You always complain about it." 

"It has its perks." Was Joey blushing? "And... I can't follow Yugi forever." He hesitated before he continued. "I always kinda trailed after him in school. It may not have looked like it–" 

"It did." 

"–but..." Joey frowned at Kaiba's interruption. "Plus this is their marriage on the line. I have no place in it, no matter how much I worry about them. As much as I want to back them up, they need to do it alone." 

"I thought part of your whole 'friendship' thing was always being there for each other." Kaiba almost smiled; for the first time in a long time he sounded like himself from so many years ago: disbelieving; almost bitter. 

"We will be. No matter how much space is between us, Yugi and I will always be close. Besides, we're... You and me, we're sort of friends, right?" 

Kaiba blinked and eyed Joey warily before he admitted, "Sort of, but that's hardly a reason to stay." 

Joey smiled – really smiled. "I'm an optimist," he said cheekily. 

_Optimism isn't a virtue._ "Get some sleep," Kaiba commanded, standing. "I don't want any more lame excuses from you in the morning." 

"G'bye." 

Kaiba didn't say good-bye; he was a little too shell-shocked. He didn't do much of anything short of simple daily functions – drove home, took a shower, and sat at his computer. 

Sort of friends. 

Exactly what the hell was that? 

Kaiba would probably kick himself for making assumptions later, but 'sort of friends' didn't seem like the sort of vague opportunity that a person would choose over their best friend. Maybe Joey had some hopes for their 'sort of' friendship after all... Kaiba was sure that Joey would regret it later. 

There were two obvious options that Kaiba could see: either he could leave Joey to his self-pity or he could... Hell, he could give Joey a reason NOT to regret it. After all, a man takes charge of his own fate, and Kaiba's fate was looking awfully dull if there was nothing but teasing in his future. Maybe it was time to take things up a notch. No, there was no maybe about it; Kaiba had to do something. 

And he had the perfect plan. 

**-end chapter twelve-**

* * *

**- notes -**  
"Hey!" you might be loudly demanding. "What's the plan?"  
And I'm just grinning, because I know it and you don't. 

And more thanks to Sarasusa for beta'ing. *thumbs up* She rocks. ^^ 

I was hesitant about how the chapter started, but I think it evened out pretty good. That was another idea that I had pretty early on in the writing of the story too -- Joey's line in Kaiba's office. I love it. 

Whoa; I just noticed that Kaiba has a naughty habit of interrupting people mid-sentence. A lot. How wude of him. ^^ 

Okay, so I'm really excited for the next chapter -- it was so much fun to write! But, I had to remind myself to curb my excitement and make sure I did this chapter justice, so hopefully I did. ^^;;; 

Other than that... I don't think I have any particularly deep thoughts on this chapter. o.O lol. 

* * *

**..::reviewer responses from the previous chapter::..**  
Trandy Green: Oh, that's good -- I might need these kneecaps later. XD 

darkmus: lol, I don't; I tend to get very antsy about stories being updated, so I think it's quite the kick in the ass to wait from chapter to chapter. ^^;; 

Tadashi: XD I could be a form of flirting; I used to do it all the time. Actually, our favorite form of flirting was wrestling -- not better way to be close and make it look innocent. Annnyywwaayy, lol, glad it made you happy. 

Yami) White Rain: I can't tell you that -- it might be important later. ^_~ But thanks. :) 

Lighning Sage: Lol, it is horribly unbearable. They just can't cut a break, can they? 

marikzgal4eva, Vegeta2J, yuna82, Tanya Maxwell: ^^ Thankies. 

Moi!: Okay, technically you reviewed 'Imitations', but I got the impression you were reading this too? lol, yup, we updated. *thumbs up* 

Nenya85: I guess Joey just doesn't lend himself to maturity, lol, and Kaiba just exudes it to an extreme. ^^ I'm happy it came off well. 

Fire Dragon of Darkness: Yeah, that kid has WAY too much fun popping up at just the wrong moment. Probably because all the wee one's I've known LOVE to do that. ^^;;; 

gyrrlgenius: I couldn't drop it. Actually, at this point, it'd be completely illogical; the rough draft is done, lol. Did I imply there were more OCs coming? I don't think anymore are coming -- just Alex & Marianne. But thanks anyway; that made me glad. XD 


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh_**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

_"Come over." _

"What needs to be done? Another contact? Or did someone finally work up the balls to sue your ass?" 

"Nothing like that, just a social visit." 

Kaiba read his book, leaning comfortably into the couch as he waited. He didn't get a chance to read often, and he figured that waiting for Joey was the perfect excuse to do so. If only he could concentrate on the words; instead his mind was running over his plan. 

All things considered, it wasn't his most straightforward idea; there were a hundred and one more effective ways to bring things out into the open between him and Joey: dinner, romance, all-out nudity... But none of that was Kaiba's style; he preferred subtle manipulation when he could get to it, and a game was always a plus. 

Kaiba looked away from his book to the Scrabble board sitting on the coffee table. He hadn't played Scrabble in years, and never with anyone but Mokuba. It wasn't one of his favorite games, but it was an okay way to kill time, and every now and then it came in handy. For instance, it was convenient as a game to play with Joey, a game to bring their fruitless flirting to an end, to get his point across... 

Or so Kaiba hoped. It was a gamble, but he liked to gamble – if the stakes were worth it. 

"Yugi made it to Seattle okay." 

Kaiba looked up to see Joey standing in the doorway. He looked a little uncomfortable, shifting from foot to foot. 

"Good. Have a seat," Kaiba offered, gesturing to the chair adjacent to the corner of the couch. The chair faced the coffee table – it would make playing the game easier. 

"So, exactly what sort of social activity is this?" Joey asked as he lowered himself into the seat. His gaze fell to the Scrabble board, and he groaned dramatically. "That's the most pointless game on the face of the planet," he whined. 

"That's why we're going to give it a point." 

Joey looked at him warily, heading tilting slightly to the left. "How?" 

"Instead of randomly throwing words on the board, you need to make them link together in a sentence. The first person to finish a sentence gets a point, and the first person to reach five points wins." 

"Only five?" 

"It can take a long time to make a sentence," Kaiba explained. "There's a lot of thinking, exchanging tiles, changing ideas as new words come to play." 

Curiosity was replaced with suspicion as Joey glared at the board. "How does this make it any more interesting than normal Scrabble?" 

"With each new word the sentence changes, the inflection shifts to reflect the player. Plus the words still need to link together properly, so there are a lot of small unrelated words are thrown in there; the original sentence can be lost in those by-products." 

Joey groaned again. "That's so complicated." 

Kaiba shrugged and offered patronizingly, "We don't have to play if you can't handle it." 

Joey glared, and Kaiba knew that he had won. "Okay, we'll play your game." 

--

They had been at it for forty-five minutes; Kaiba had three points, and Joey had one. 

"How'd you come up with this?" Joey asked as he exchanged three tiles. 

Kaiba examined his letters, trying to a find a word to expand off 'tulip' with. "Mokuba and I got bored one night." Kaiba smiled to himself and added, "Mokuba was a heartbreaker by the time he was fifteen – his cell phone never stopped ringing. After a while I made him turn of the ringer while he was in the house." 

"He was a Romeo when he was eleven. Girls always asked me if Yugi knew where he had gone off to." 

Kaiba raised an eyebrow but didn't look away from his tiles, shuffling them in their holder. "Yugi?" 

"Yea – I know Yugi, Yugi knew you, and you lived with Mokuba. It didn't make sense to me at first either; Tea had to explain it." 

"Ah." Kaiba finally gave up and exchanged six of his tiles – utterly worthless things they had been. "I remember the week after his fifteenth birthday, he and his friends held a carwash – " 

"What for?" It was Joey's turn, yet he was looking at Kaiba curiously. 

"I was getting to that. Do you always interrupt stories?" Joey looked a little surprised, and Kaiba continued, "They came to the conclusion that there was only one cause that car washes were good for: the 'hot girls in soaked bathing suits' fund. They managed to convince a bunch of girls that they were washing cars to save the rain forest." 

Joey laughed heartily. "That's terrific! Man, I wish we could have come up with something like that when we were teens..." 

Kaiba chuckled a bit. "They did an expert job with manipulation." 

"Were you there?" 

"Yes – Mokuba begged me to go. I told him I had work to do, but my computer conveniently crashed that morning." 

"Ooh," Joey snickered. "Mokuba inflicted?" 

Kaiba nodded. "I grounded him for it, but ended up going anyway. That was..." Kaiba frowned, reflecting on the more personal side of that memory. He looked at Joey; the blond seemed engrossed in his memoir, ignoring the game and his turn altogether. Kaiba almost laughed – it was a ridiculous amount of attention to waste on a simple story. "Mokuba introduced me to one of his friends there." 

Joey blinked. "He was fifteen?" He seemed to have caught onto the meaning and did some math on his fingers. "That means you were twenty... you kissed one of Mokuba's friends?" He sounded slightly horrified at the idea. 

"He kissed me." 

"Still... Isn't that kinda robbing the cradle?" 

"None of Mokuba's friends were his age – he was the youngest of them all... and the smartest," Kaiba added proudly. "The friend in question was nineteen at the time." 

"Why didn't it work out?" 

"What makes you think there was something more than a kiss?" Kaiba countered. 

It had actually been little more than something to do while there was a lull in cars to wash. It had turned out more interesting than listening to girls preach about saving the rainforest, not to mention that Mokuba had been so excited about it that he hadn't tried to coerce Kaiba to leave the house for months... Until he realized that it had been a one-time deal; then he resumed his quest to 'get big brother out of his shell.' s 

"I just assumed..." Joey stopped and shrugged. "I never kissed anyone without meaning it." 

"We were bored, and he looked good wet." 

"Oh." Joey sounded almost sullen as he looked down at his tiles, away from Kaiba. "That sucks. Hey!" He reached for his letters, placing the word 'suck' on the board by making 'tulip' plural. "Done." 

"'Tulips suck'?" Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Your depth astounds me." 

"No one said I had to be deep; it's a sentence and I get a point for it," Joey protested. "I never was any good at word games." 

Kaiba marked Joey's point on the score pad; they cleared the board and picked new letters. "I'm first," he announced, and immediately had a word: 'you'. 

Joey was just as quick with his next word. 'Make', using a blank for the 'k'. It connected to 'you' by making the word 'um' vertically. 

Um: a sound of confusion. Kaiba smirked. Fitting. His next word was 'me', made off of the 'e' in 'make'. 

They both had to exchange letters twice before Joey continued the sentence with the word 'think', playing it horizontally by placing the 't' at the end of 'me' to create 'met'. 

Met. It was a completely random and out-of-place word, something to confuse and muddle the meaning of what was quickly proving to be the most interesting sentence of the game. Kaiba liked those random little words – the more there were, the more interesting translating the sentence was at the end. 

Technically 'You make me think' was a sentence, but before Joey could open his mouth to claim he had completed it, Kaiba placed 'about' on the board, going vertically off the 'a' in 'make'. 

"Oh," Joey said; he sounded shaky. He looked over his tiles, moving them hesitantly, like he was unveiling something he didn't really want to see. After a second he closed his eyes. Kaiba resisted the urge to hurry him; anything that had Joey so worked up had to be worth the wait. Without warning Joey stood, knees jarring the coffee table; the letters jolted from their spots, but didn't move too far out of order. Not that Kaiba cared; he was too busy watching Joey escape out of two patio doors on the far wall of his living room. Kaiba blinked. That had been unexpected. 

Before he approached the blond he fixed the tiles on the board. He figured he could wait, give Joey time to do whatever it was he was doing. Kaiba suspected he was smoking. But five minutes turned to fifteen, and Kaiba didn't feel like waiting. He followed, stepping out into the chilled night – onto the porch. 

Joey was sitting on the steps that led down to the yard. His face was upturned towards the sky; his hair fell back from his face, and he looked pensive. "Busy?" Kaiba managed to mask the irritation he was feeling – quite a feat, really. 

"Just thinking." 

"About?" _Déjà vu._

Joey was silent, but Kaiba wasn't deterred. After a moment, Joey spoke. 

"When I was a freshman in college I dated this girl – a real knock-out – but I didn't exactly have the cash to take her out. On a stroke of genius I went to the library and skimmed some book on stargazing, just enough to be able to fake my way through it. That night I drove out to the middle of nowhere, away from all the lights, and talked about the night sky like I'd been doing it all my life." There was an endearing touch of nostalgia to Joey's voice. 

Kaiba didn't know where Joey was going with that, and resigned himself to the fact that it could be a while before Joey made any sort of point at all. He sat beside Joey on the stairs, but he looked at the gate surrounding his estate. He had never been interested in the stars. "Did she know you were full of shit?" 

"Nope," Joey answered. "She... Well, let's just say she was impressed." 

Kaiba snorted. "Amazing." 

"Yeah. It's the kind of story you tell your friends over a couple of beers or at a poker game." Joey nodded absently. "The part I never told anyone was that I actually liked it – the stargazing thing, I mean. I went back and read that book a few times. It was interesting." 

"How so?" 

"You see the moon?" 

For the first time Kaiba looked up at the sky. "Of course." 

"The halo around it means that something good is going to happen." 

Kaiba hadn't realized it right away, but Joey was right – there was a ring of white light bordering the moon. He decided not to point out that there was probably a perfectly rational explanation for it. "What sort of good thing?" 

Joey shrugged. "Just something good." Kaiba looked over at him, examined his profile unabashedly. After a moment Joey's gaze shifted to meet his. "How many s-tiles are there in Scrabble?" he asked softly. 

"Four. Why?" 

Joey shook his head, slight smile gracing his lips. "What are the odds that I'd get three of them?" 

Kaiba didn't get the chance to ask why that was significant before Joey had leaned forward, lips meeting his in what turned out to be a chaste kiss. It was different than other kisses Kaiba remembered – it was hesitant, it was curious, it sent a thrill though his spine... 

And it was over before it could really begin. 

"Kisses," Joey whispered, as though he was afraid to speak too loudly. His face was close to Kaiba's, and his eyes were closed. "You make me think about kisses." Finally he backed away, and he looked at Kaiba like he was searching for something. 

"You don't think about them otherwise?" Kaiba asked. "You have enough stories." 

"Those are different; those are... well, girls. But since..." Joey's voice wavered, and he licked his lips. "Since New Years, you've been the first person to come to mind when I think about kissing." 

Kaiba supposed if he ever wanted to say something romantic or meaningful, that would be his opening. "Took you long enough to do something about it. Aren't lawyers supposed to be aggressive?" Not exactly romantic, but it was about as much as Kaiba was willing to say. 

"You're more complicated than any job I've ever had," Joey defended. He looked at his watch and swore under his breath. "I'd better go; Serenity has her own man at home to deal with now; can't leave her with mine for long." 

They entered the living room together. "Oh," Joey said mischievously, "by the way..." He crossed to the board and played 'kisses' vertically off the 'k' in 'think'. "We're tied." 

"Oh?" Kaiba pulled Joey to him by the shoulders, stealing another kiss – more as an experiment than a kiss, really. It was just to see... 

The thrill was still there. Kaiba had never kissed anyone who could send that strange bolt of excitement down his spine. If he had, he probably would have kissed a lot more people. Even stranger, they were such simple kisses, yet Kaiba gotten much more intense kisses that were less exhilarating. 

It all left one unanswered question: if Joey meant something every time he kissed someone, what exactly did he mean with Kaiba? 

Joey seemed confused, as though he hadn't been expecting it, and he sounded a little nervous as he said, "I have to... Uh, go." 

"We'll finish the game later," Kaiba said resolutely. Joey nodded. 

"Bye." 

Kaiba hesitated, and Joey had almost turned the corner before he replied: "Goodbye." 

**-end chapter thirteen-**

* * *

**- notes -**  
I'm running out of creative ways to thank Sarasusa for beta'ing! *panic* lol, so just thanks shall suffice for the moment. :) 

"That was his plan? Scrabble?!" you might demand. I'd nod. "It did it's job, right?" 

lol, so maybe I led you guys on a little bit with that plan, but I liked it, and it was the plan. It was fun! XD 

So I've never actually played Scrabble that way, but it sounds like fun, lol. But I fought with myself over exactly what sentence to throw in there for a while, and I must have gone through every possiblity of canine-innuendo and use of the word 'fuck' before this revealed itself. I like it. ^^ 

And Kaiba told a story! That was exciting! *nod* 

* * *

**..::review responses from previous chapter::..**  
ColeyCarissa, lotus re-incarnate, vegeta2J, nenya85, yami) white rain, MonKey Doki: thanks. though this story, I have decided that there aren't enough words in the english language for "thank you". ^^ So just... thanks, yo. 

Leaf Zelindor: *gasp* It's been updated there too, I swear. ^^ thankies. 

Tanya Maxwell: lol, then Kaiba broke a record here -- his plan worked out! XD 

darkmus: ^_~ lmao! Dude, the fact that your first thought was "no more backup babysitter" made me laugh -- holy shit. XD 

Kagemihari: rockin'. ^^ Yeah, I've come across stories that I didn't intend to read, and then I read a line of some odd-numbered chapter and get curious -- lol. So I'm flattered that you're here at all. :) 

Angel-Belle: hey, I did, didn't I? Haha, irony. XD I could think of meaner things to call Kaiba as a boss, but things like that might get our favorite secretary fired, and we need here right now. ^^ 

me: really? I was in Seattle once to catch a flight, so I never saw the outside of the airport. I just sort of randomly chose a big-ish city type thing, lol. But thanks! XD 

Trandy Green: *dances in joey, since has kneecaps with which to do so* I'm glad you're happy. ^_~ Lol, I'm actually kind of relieved I dont have to try and hash out Joey's emotions from his POV too -- I'd have a seizure trying to keep up with both of them! XD 

elsalhir-erestar: w00t! lol! Glad you made it. XD lol, Kaiba at 30 isn't so hard -- I always thought he was older. Yugi, on the other hand -- eep! XD It's a hard one to do. Thankies! 

Alexander the Grand: haha! Good thing you pointed out it was you, or I wouldn't have realized. Anyway, thanks. Haha, love the "cave with a spoon" metaphor; I'll have to remember that one. I'm glad it's working. Man, I can't sketch to save my life, so smile! XD 

Lightning Sage: aww, but gloating was fun. ^^ Yes, "polite" is ONE word for it.... XD 

Tadashi: aww, that was so morbid -- the world would be a sad place it Tea's boobies left it. XD Anyway, thanks -- hopefully you had as much fun here as I did. 

Fire Dragon of Darkness: Yeah, I can see where the Yugi-Drama would be tedious, but it does serve a purpose in the long run. ^^;; Thanks! 


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**_ashes doesn't own yu-gi-oh_**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

It was just another Monday, and Kaiba was at his desk working – thinking – like always. 

He had no illusions. Life had taught him to be cold, calculated, aloof, and prepared for any misfortune that could come – and misfortune had a strange knack for finding him. When anything good happened, it was his natural reaction to expect the worst. It was a weakness to hope that for once what appeared to be a good thing wouldn't turn out to be a bad thing. 

But he didn't want to be dispassionate with Joey... not that he could have been, not even if he had wanted to. Granted, the emotional reaction wasn't always pleasant – Kaiba hated confusion, and hope was almost as bad – but still, the reaction was definitely there, eating away at his well-placed guards. 

Just because of a kiss and a couple of well-spoken words. Kaiba shook his head to himself. What a fool he had become. 

The door opened, and Kaiba looked up to order his visitor away. His words died before he spoke them; they always did when the visitor was Joey. "Are you busy?" Joey asked, standing in the doorway of his office. 

"I'm always busy." 

Joey nodded. "True. You want to take a break for lunch?" 

Kaiba looked up at Joey questioningly. All things considered, it was a bold request. "With you?" 

"Yeah. There's a deli nearby, nice casual place." 

"Fine." Kaiba sifted through some papers. "Let me finish this." Joey nodded and took a seat on the couch, not speaking for the entire ten minutes it took for Kaiba to reach a stopping point. They were down the hall and in the elevator before Kaiba broke the silence. "Is this place within walking distance?" 

"A couple of minutes." 

They made it down the street, into the deli, and to the table with their food without more than three words passing between them. Just when Kaiba was going to ask why he had been invited – as he could just as easily have eaten in silence alone – Joey told him, "You should eat more." 

"It's not in my nature; this is enough." Kaiba took a bite of his salad as though proving his point. 

With a sigh, Joey continued, "I really don't get you. I mean..." He paused, focused on his sandwich. 

"And just when I thought we were going to talk," Kaiba intoned. 

"Where does everything put us?" Joey blurted. "New Year's, Saturday... Where does all that stand?" 

Kaiba shrugged. "I don't – " 

"Care," Joey interrupted crankily. "Right, I forget you're pretty hard to ruffle. Hell, I probably just looked good that night, on my back and wheezing for air." 

Kaiba shook his head. There was nothing sexy about gasping for breath. Well, maybe, in another situation, Joey would have looked good on his back and out of breath... "I was going to say 'know'," he explained, abandoning his previous train of thought. 

Brown eyes stared at him in awe. Joey uttered a small, "Oh." 

"Trust me," Kaiba continued, "you're not an easy person to figure out, certainly no easier than me." 

"Sure I am," Joey replied with a smile. "I'm a simple guy." 

"Hardly. No 'simple' man would flirt with another man when everything about him indicates he's straight." 

Joey had to fumble for an answer on that one, giving Kaiba some time to eat his salad. 

"Well, yeah... But..." Joey slumped, ate some food, and tried again. "I guess I am. Straight. Or... well..." He rested his elbows on the table and cradled his head dramatically. "Fuck, I don't know." 

"Not a very good state of affairs," Kaiba replied calmly. "That's something most adults know." 

"I did until you came back," Joey retorted. "Any doubt in my mind is completely your fault." 

A couple of kisses and already Kaiba was blamed for Joey's shortcomings. If anything DID come to pass between them, Kaiba had the feeling it would probably be the stupidest thing he'd ever do. "What an honor," Kaiba threw back sardonically. 

"Look, I don't mean to be..." Joey sighed. "I don't get it, alright? Yugi I would have understood; we've always been close. Tristan, gay as he is... or hell, any of my friends, I could have made sense of things if it were one of them. But you... man, I couldn't stand you, but then you come back, you're less of an ass, and you..." He paused his rant. "I wasn't drunk New Year's." 

"I know." 

He took a deep breath and continued, "And I don't think that you really regret it." 

"I should." 

"No... you shouldn't," Joey said, as though he were admitting some sin. He looked as serious as Kaiba had ever seen him, and their eyes met. "I told you, I've never kissed anyone without meaning it." 

How sentimental of him. "And what does a kiss mean to you?" 

"Just... something. I never much thought about it." 

Kaiba rolled his eyes and ate his salad. "That's not very reassuring." 

"Well, it means I want to kiss you again, if nothing else." 

"What if I don't want to kiss you again?" Kaiba challenged. 

"Then it sucks to be me." They ate together in silence for a while, but Kaiba was well aware that they would run out of food soon, and then they'd have to find a new excuse not to talk. Luckily before the situation got that desperate Joey asked, "Well, do you want to?" 

"Yes." They stared at each other. "So that brings us back to the original question." 

"I..." Joey blushed – again. Kaiba wondered how many times he intended to do that. "Want to come over later?" 

"Why?" It was a tempting offer, but Kaiba knew that if the invitation was just for the sake of fooling around, then nothing would be resolved; he knew enough about sex to know that it had a nasty habit of distracting him from the important aspects of life. 

"Well, I've still got to kick your ass in that game, and we need to get back to work." 

Kaiba nodded. "Fine." 

--

"Come in!" 

It was the first time that Kaiba walked into Joey's apartment without having the door opened for him – not a particularly significant fact, but different nonetheless. Joey was already on the floor and playing a game – not the fighting game, but what looked like a child's game; colored balls kept bouncing around the screen randomly, occasionally hitting each other and popping. It was like a cartoon, complete with squeaky voices of triumph. "Mature," he commented, closing the door behind him. He couldn't quite bring himself to step further into the apartment. 

"I was just killing time; sit down, I'll change games in a minute." 

Kaiba moved to sit beside Joey on the floor, discarding his jacket onto the chair along the way. Joey ignored him for a minute, then two... Kaiba felt ridiculous, sitting on the floor like a child, all for the sake of being near Joey. The blond had no idea how much he really affected Kaiba. 

Finally Joey paused the game and looked over. "Where's the kid?" Kaiba asked. 

"Asleep. I guess he had a busy day." 

And then Joey's lips met Kaiba's, silencing any words that might have been lingering there. He pulled back about as quickly as he had moved forward. "Sorry," he murmured. "Muscle spasm." 

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Happen a lot?" 

"Oh yeah," Joey replied with a nervous smile, licking his lips. "All the time." 

Fine – two could play at that game. Kaiba pulled Joey towards him, finally taking control of the awkwardness between them; he had been sick and damn tired of nervous kisses. His lips were bruising against Joey's, tongue brushing only the blond's lips, enticing him to let Kaiba in. After all, he had never asked nicely for anything; why would kissing be any different? He was accustomed to taking what he wanted, and Joey on the living room floor was starting to seem like a mighty tempting idea... 

Joey didn't resist, opening willingly to Kaiba's silent demands, hands reaching out to pull him closer; Kaiba's natural reaction was to shove Joey onto his back – he couldn't think of many other ways to get closer – as he explored and tasted the mouth offered to him. It was a little frightening that he loved every second of it. 

"Wait," Joey suddenly gasped against his lips, catching one of Kaiba's wandering hands, which had made it as low as Joey's side. Kaiba glared down at him. If there was ever a time he WASN'T in the mood to talk... "I... Are we friends?" 

Joey needed some sense knocked into him. Hard. "No, I always do things like this with people I can't stand," Kaiba replied sarcastically. He leaned in to kiss Joey again, but the blond evaded him. 

"Are we... uh... more than friends?" 

Kaiba sighed. "I don't do this casually, if that's what you're asking." 

"So that's a yes?" Joey inquired nervously. He looked like he had been faced with some daunting task, and Kaiba wondered if he was really that frightening. 

_"...I'm sick and fuckin' tired of being hurt."_

Of course. How could he have forgotten? "Are you interested?" It was a ridiculous question; Kaiba was sure he knew the answer to that. Then again, he thought he knew all the answers many times before, and he rarely did. 

"Yea, but... I don't know..." Joey moved to sit up, and Kaiba retreated to his spot on the floor. He had a feeling it was about to become the sort of conversation that was going to require personal space. "So I guess we discussed it a little over lunch..." 

"That would be?" 

"That I... Well, I usually do this sort of thing with chicks... But you're..." Joey paused. "I'm not trying to say you're a chick or anything like that, but... Kissing you is nice. I like it. I like it a lot. It's just a little bizarre. But when I think about... other stuff, it doesn't make much sense to me. I just can't grasp it, and I don't want to rush into something only to find out too late that I can't handle with it. It wouldn't be fair to either of us, really." 

"Hm," was Kaiba's only response. He had no intention of trying to push Joey in either direction. He knew which direction he preferred, but that was beside the point. 

"Then there's that relationship thing..." Joey seemed to shudder for a moment. "Is that even legal?" 

"What, relationships?" 

"No. Well, yes. I mean, you being my boss and all." 

Kaiba smirked. "Weren't you the one that told me that Kaiba Corp. breaks all the laws anyway?" 

"Good point." 

"Besides," Kaiba added, "work life and personal life are two completely different things that I don't intend to combine." 

"Good..." Joey bit his lower lip, looking from Kaiba, to the floor, to his hands. If the conversation was over, Kaiba was going to – 

"Could I convince you to stick with this whole kissing thing for now?" 

Kaiba blinked, surprised by the sudden request. "You're kidding, right?" 

"I..." Joey blushed and shook his head. "It's just a little strange." 

"Fine," Kaiba said, much calmer than he felt. It was one thing to be impatient; it was quite another to be too forceful, and he'd be damned before he did that. Besides, the way Joey talked about sex and past relationships, it couldn't be too long of a wait. "Are you planning to change games?" 

Joey smiled and kissed Kaiba again. _Tease!_ Kaiba groaned inwardly, the sound echoing in his brain as the kiss ended. 

"Just exploring new territory," Joey admitted. "Thanks." 

"Don't mention it." Kaiba gestured to the game, but his thoughts were on an entirely different topic. 

"Right... Wait! Does this mean that we're – " 

"Yes," Kaiba answered exasperatedly. "Do you always ask this many questions going into a relationship? No wonder they never worked out for you." 

Joey ignored Kaiba's feeble barb, and his lips moved silently over the word 'relationship'. He was smiling. 

Kaiba wondered what he had gotten himself into. 

**-end chapter fourteen-**

* * *

**- notes -**  
Many thanks to Sarasusa, who has beta'd. Great patience & ideas, that one has -- she rocks. ^^ 

So, we have an established, vocalized relationship... you know what that means. ... I was talking about drama, you perverts. ^_~ 

lol, anyway... So I have a few issues with Joey in this chapter; he seems to be of two minds about everything (which you will see much more of in upcoming chapters), which is a pain in the ass. Hmm... 

Oh, the game of colored balls: Bust-A-Move. Another SNES game that was too much fun. XD 

Other than that, I can't think of much to say at the moment. x.x Haha. Hope you enjoyed. :) 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers::..**  
darkmus: lol, I like Yuugi (*cough*especially with mokuba*cough*). We shall not contest Kaiba's dorkiness. XD As for that kiss, just some random person who I don't think we hear about again. After all, Kaiba's got better kissing material now, ne? 

shadowfire, Regann, lightning sage, tanya maxwell, ColeyCarissa, alecto perdita, tadashi, angel-belle, gyrrlgenius, eyes0nme19, ranma higurashi: *bow*bow* Thankies. 

Fire Dragon of Darkness: ooh, happy birthday! ^^ Erm, belated, of course. lol, yeah, over-complicated, but looks like a great time. 

yami) white rain: really? It would have felt horribly inconclusive to me if I had ended there. After all, they're still pretty stubborn characters with some unsolved issues, ne? :) 

Kaneda-Shotaro & Yami Tetsuo: no worries. ^^ Thankies. 

Elsalhir Erestar: haha, yes, it backfired on you hardkore. Don't cry about Yugi! Trust me. ^_~ 

ReMedy10: thanks. aww, i'm sorry it made you cry. ^^;;; 

Nenya85: lol, I didn't think of that -- heart of the scrabble tiles. I ought to bust that one out next time I play scrabble, just to see what happens. Glad you liked it. ^^ 

Chronicles Bailey: I dont want to be in the States, lol -- I just got back, and I'm about ready for another 4 year hiatus. ^^ Aww, sorry to hear about the sprained ankle. 


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**_ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh, and has no Chinese food to call her own_**

* * *

**Hey -- this chapter was edited for FF.net. *grin* It's only a couple of paragraphs, but one of my goals is NOT to piss the site off, so it goes without saying that we watch what makes it here. The unedited version can be found at my site, MediaMiner, or here (sans spaces ^^;;):  
http:// adultfan.nexcess.net / aff / story.php?no=14804&chapter=17**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Days turned into a week, then weeks. 

Weeks turned into a month. 

One month, three weeks, and two days, to be exact. Damn, he had a good memory. If Kaiba's mouth hadn't been busy he would have smiled. 

The first week or two had been the most awkward; every time Kaiba touched Joey, the blond would practically jump out of his skin. Their roles were quickly defined as the patient lover and the blushing virgin, but unfortunately 'patient' wasn't one of Kaiba's virtues; if it had been up to him, Joey would have been pinned down in his sheets a long time ago. 

It wasn't all that bad. Joey was a bit endearing as a blushing virgin – his blushing virgin, really; Kaiba always had been a tad possessive, sentimental as it was. There were little victories in their relationship: it had taken him a little less than a month to get Joey's shirt off, and he was still working on the pants – the one time he had reached into them, Joey had flipped. 

In fact, a majority of their time was spent necking like horny teenagers, and Kaiba's patience was wearing thin. 

Joey bent up off the couch, gasping as Kaiba's teeth brushed one nipple. His lips trailed up over Joey's chest, tasting the hollow of his neck, along his jaw; hips met and moved together, and Joey bucked up against him with a soft grunt, a wordless plea for more. 

"Daddy, I'm bored." 

And how could Kaiba have forgotten the adorably inconvenient complication known as Alex? His head fell against Joey's shoulder, a low growl of frustration forming deep in his throat. Joey sat up just enough to look over the back of the couch at Alex. "I though you were watching a movie," he said breathlessly; his voice was trembling about as much as his body. If there was one thing that Joey was sure of about in their relationship, it was what Alex wouldn't see… which turned out to be anything even slightly sexual. It was unfortunate that Alex wasn't the sort of kid who would sit still for long period of time. 

"It's over!" 

"You need to find a babysitter," Kaiba murmured, pressing kisses over Joey's shoulder, knowing full and well that Joey was going to give him hell for it once Alex left. 

"Stop that," Joey hissed. Kaiba didn't listen. "Well, what do you want to do?" Joey addressed the toddler, hand resting on the back of Kaiba's neck – amusing that rather than stop him, fingers played with the hair at his nape. 

"I'm hungry." 

"Okay, just a second – " Joey was fighting to keep his voice even as Kaiba's attention moved to his neck. 

_Oh no, you don't._ With smirk Kaiba stopped and said, "Alex, go down the kitchen – I'm sure someone is there to make something for you." 

"Okay!" Alex said brightly, and – to Kaiba's relief – little footsteps rushed out. Joey fell back onto the couch. 

"You," he said accusingly. "How many times – " 

Kaiba cut him off with a kiss. "Shut up." 

With a contented sigh Joey closed his eyes. "Well, I don't think I could find a babysitter willing to keep track of him as often as I'm sure you'd want them to." 

"Pity." He sat up, pulling Joey so that he was sitting back against Kaiba's chest; immediately his mouth found the sensitive flesh of Joey's ear, nipping and sucking it gently. The blond leaned heavily against him, a murmur of pleasure rising from his throat. His hands traveled over Joey's belly, down to pull at the button of his jeans… 

"Kaiba," Joey whined pitifully, gently pushing his hands away. 

"It's just me," Kaiba purred. "The kid's busy, and I want to touch you." 

Joey's cheeks flushed, and his hands rested protectively over the zipper of his jeans. "It's just that – " 

Kaiba interrupted, "Why are you STILL so damn edgy? You've liked every other thing we've done, so the whole male thing doesn't seem to be that big of a deal…" He smirked and teased, "Or does it feel better? Maybe no girl has ever done it quite so right…" 

Joey's face was all but burning; Kaiba could feel the heat as he nipped at Joey's shoulder. He couldn't help it; he liked to push Joey's buttons. 

"I just… Damn, what kind of man does that make me?" 

"A gay one," Kaiba answered. "Am I any less of a man because I never liked a woman?" 

"Never?" Joey sounded shocked. 

"That's not the point," Kaiba said flatly. Damn, why did he bother sometimes? 

"Oh. Well, no; you're the biggest asshole I've ever known." Kaiba raised an eyebrow, and Joey quickly added, "No, you're just as much a guy as anyone else I know." 

"So why would you be any less?" 

Joey didn't answer immediately, and his head fell back against Kaiba's shoulder, eyes closed. "Can't I just… think about it?" 

"What have you been doing for the past two months?" 

Joey grinned. "Getting thrown on my back by you; I never have time to think." 

"Don't blame me," Kaiba warned, hand reaching down to cover Joey's, "for you lack of basic intelligence." He leaned down to capture Joey's lips… 

A cell phone rang, and Kaiba broke the kiss with a curse. Almost immediately Joey was off the couch, reaching for his jacket – long forgotten on the floor – and answered eagerly, "Yeah?" He paused, and if Kaiba were a religious man, he would have prayed. "Hey, man, how's Seattle?" 

Kaiba swore again; another bad ending to what had otherwise been a good afternoon. Whenever Yugi called Joey was sufficiently distracted for at least half an hour and wasn't at all interested in doing anything afterwards. In fact, he usually moped and liked to he held. Kaiba never had been good at cuddling, not even when Mokuba had been into that sort of childish comfort. 

Joey was off the phone in record time, but Kaiba wasn't stupid enough to take any hope from it. "I gotta go. Yugi asked me to go take care of the shop for a bit." 

"I thought he hired new management." 

"She's sick. It'll only be for a couple of hours. Come over tonight, I'll order some Chinese food or something." He leaned down to kiss Kaiba. "Don't be mad." 

"I'm not mad," Kaiba replied evenly. He wasn't; he was bothered. He preferred being mad. 

Joey sighed. "I'm sorry," he said, reaching for his shirt – flung carelessly onto the coffee table – and pulling it over his head. He peeked up through the collar, keeping it just over his nose and looking at Kaiba curiously. Kaiba had to roll his eyes at the sight; Joey had been around the kid way too long. 

"Don't be." Back into the role of the gentle patient lover – disregarding that he was neither patient nor gentle under normal circumstances. "What time?" 

Joey was smiling as he finished pulling his shirt down. "Seven?" 

"I'll be there at eight." 

"Okay. See you later." Joey grabbed his jacket and left, leaving Kaiba to his own thoughts. 

All in all, things were less than perfect; Joey was scared and Kaiba was frustrated. Kaiba wasn't sure why he hadn't backed out long ago. Joey was a bit of a contradiction – blushing and shying away, but sighing and begging for more… How strange that the most responsive of Kaiba's almost-lovers was also the shyest. It was odd, the patience he was willing to endure for Joey. 

Kaiba sighed and stood. He needed a shower. 

--

They had given up on the concept of knocking a while ago; Kaiba had decided that knocking wasted about thirty seconds that they could have spent doing something more interesting. It was obvious by the aroma of the apartment that Joey had already gotten food. "Hello?" he called out, closing the front door behind him; he didn't see Joey or Alex. 

"Just a minute," Joey called from his room. A moment later he exited, dressed in his typical pajama pants and t-shirt – the picture of a lazy bachelor. "Hey!" he said happily, pressing a quick kiss to Kaiba's lips as he dashed into the kitchen. "I'm starving!" 

"Where's Alex?" Kaiba sat on the loveseat, stretching his legs out in front of him. 

Joey returned and dropped down beside Kaiba, holding a bowl out to him. He smiled coyly and answered, "With Tristan and Bakura." With that, Joey pulled his legs up under him and dug into his food. 

"Oh," Kaiba said. He looked at the bowl he was holding. Why were they wasting such an opportunity eating? "Until when?" 

"Tomorrow." 

Kaiba blinked. That was new. "Oh." Joey nodded and reached for the remote. 

"Anything you want to watch?" he asked, flipping through the channels. 

"You." 

Joey blushed and elaborated, "On TV?" 

"No." 

After much channel-flipping Joey finally settled on a channel, but Kaiba wasn't paying attention; his gaze kept switching from his food – which he had absolutely no interest in – to Joey. After about ten minutes of that he gave up and ate his food. They were both silent, and when they were done eating Kaiba simply sat back and watched the blond watch the movie. He wondered if he could somehow will Joey into making a move; Joey was always more comfortable if he made the first move, even if he ended up getting pinned in the end. 

All Joey did was yawn. 

Damn it. 

Kaiba was about ready to do something drastic when the world seemed to do a one-eighty around everything he knew. Without warning Joey blurted, "Stay with me tonight." 

"What?" 

Joey looked over at him. "I'm tired, and I want you to stay." 

Kaiba heaved a sigh. "You could have warned me," he retorted irritably. Sure, he may not have been as cross as he sounded, but he'd be damned before he just rolled over and said okay. He wasn't that easy. 

"I… I didn't exactly plan it." 

"Oh? Well, I don't sleep in my clothes." 

"I could find you something." 

Satisfied that Joey meant it – after all, who would put up a fight if they didn't? – Kaiba sighed and said calmly, "Fine, but it's barely nine; are you really that tired?" 

Joey nodded. "The bed is calling to me." 

"If you hear the bed talking to you, then you have bigger problems than being tired." 

Before he could really wrap his mind around it, Kaiba found himself in the bathroom pulling on a pair of sweatpants – a little short and a little loose on him. He sighed and pulled on the t-shirt Joey had loaned him. He refused to look in the mirror; he would not look at himself in Joey's clothes, absolutely not… He turned off the bathroom light, making it out without looking at his own reflection. 

He didn't want to see any glee that might be lingering there. 

The apartment was dark as Kaiba made his way to the bedroom; he nearly tripped over several toys, but somehow made it to the bed intact. There was an open window that provided the room with dim light, and Joey was curled on his side; Kaiba was sure that he was asleep until he said, "Well, you comin'?" 

"Yeah." He sat on the edge of the bed, and after a second's hesitation took his spot, curling comfortably on his side. All the awkwardness was worth it when Joey draped the blankets over them and curled close behind him, arm wrapping around his waist. If it had been up to Kaiba, they would have swapped spots, but he was willing to let it slide… just once. Maybe next time… "Goodnight," he said softly. 

"Mm-hm," Joey replied lazily, lips pressing against the back of Kaiba's neck; it made him shiver. He nodded and closed his eyes. He might have even fallen asleep if not for a strange feeling low on his abdomen. He froze, unsure exactly what to think, but after a moment he was able to figure out what it was. 

It was Joey's fingers brushing lightly over his skin, snaking under the waistband of his sweatpants. 

"What happened to thinking?" It was the honorable thing to do; Kaiba didn't want to get sex out of guilt. Of course, most of him was screaming Fuck honor! and demanding that he enjoy Joey's ever-lowering hand without question. 

"I, uh, did," Joey whispered. He look a deep breath – the sound shuddered in Kaiba's ear – and without warning his fingers reached their destination, hesitantly exploring sensitive flesh, touching and teasing as though mapping new territory. Kaiba bit his lip against anything – moaning, swearing – and Joey's lips found his neck, his ear. "Is this okay?" he murmured. 

Kaiba nodded, still biting his lip. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth he would beg for more, and Seto Kaiba begged no one, especially not in bed. 

"Good." Joey still sounded nervous, but his movements became more assured, firmer as his hand stroked Kaiba's length. Kaiba was nodding at nothing, reaching down to guide Joey's hand – it never hurt to help. 

It stopped too soon, but before Kaiba could protest he was pushed onto his back, and Joey kissed him fiercely. "Where did this come from?" he asked bewilderedly. 

"Are you complaining?" Joey asked, looking down at him curiously. 

"Of course not." 

"Okay then." Joey's trembling hands pushed his shirt partway up, and lips explored the newly exposed skin… 

_No fucking way._ Kaiba blinked. "You're not going to – " 

"Why not?" 

"That's a far cry from being nervous," Kaiba pointed out. _Stop arguing and let him do what he wants! _

"Who said I'm not nervous?" 

"Then you shouldn't – " 

"Kaiba, either we can spend months and months hoping that one day I'll wake up 100% queer, or you can shut the hell up and let me do this," Joey said sternly. He pulled off those sweatpants and continued, "I wouldn't do anything that I don't really want to do on some level or another, and all this talking is just making me more nervous, so just shut up, okay?" 

"Fine," Kaiba breathed, fingers digging into the sheets as something warm and moist darted over him experimentally, and despite how grateful he was, somewhere in the back of his mind he was arrogantly thinking, _Well, it's about time! _

--

Kaiba woke up alone, and the clock on the floor blinked 12:41 AM. It was a weird feeling; usually he would have still been awake, not just waking. It wasn't morning yet – hell, it was hardly even night. But morning or night, it was perturbing to wake up by himself in someone else's bed. After a second he realized that there was a faint light streaming through the barely-open door. He paused, listened… Joey was talking to someone, presumably on the phone. 

"So he's been good? He's usually a real brat when I leave him with someone else." 

With a blink and a roll of his eyes, Kaiba curled back into his pillow, yawning. Joey was checking on Alex. At midnight. Well, to each parent his own paranoia… Kaiba was almost asleep when another snip of the conversation caught his attention. 

"Thanks for your advice earlier," Joey said. 

Oh? Joey got advice? That was intriguing. 

Joey next words sounded scandalized. "You can't ask me that!" A pause followed, then a serious, "No, really, that's not cool – I can't just tell you that." 

Kaiba did a mental run-through of what topics Joey might have been hesitant to talk about. Given how much Joey loved to talk, the list wasn't very long. 

"That's so GAY." Another pause, then a nervous laugh. "Oh. Right. But… well, yeah, I did. It wasn't bad. Man, what happened to us?" Joey laughed. "We used to be THE men; fuck, we used to pick on Yugi for acting queer, and look at us now: he's married, and we're both hooked up with guys. It's a good thing he doesn't do revenge, or we'd never hear the end of it." 

Well, it didn't take much imagination at that point to guess what the topic of the conversation was. Kaiba flushed and sat up, leaning in the direction of to door to try to hear better. 

"Tristan… I'm gonna kick your ass! You're horrible!" Joey was still laughing, so it couldn't have been that bad. "What the hell kind of comment is that? I've seen guys beaten a pulp for less offensive comments. Man…" He chuckled, but suddenly he stopped, and his tone evened out. "Seriously, I did kind of have a question. I hate to ask, but…" 

_Spit it out._ Kaiba might have yelled it, but Joey probably wouldn't ask if he knew Kaiba was eavesdropping; if he was going to be shy with his friends, then there was no way in hell he would tell Kaiba. 

"When you… Ugh, you know, what I mean right? Yeah, well… Doesn't it hurt like a bitch?" 

Kaiba's breath hitched. 

"You asshole, that's not what I meant. Well, fuck then, put Bakura on." Another second passed. "Hey," Joey said nervously. "So… Oh. Yeah…" Kaiba found himself waiting curiously for Joey's next words. "Why do you guys keep asking that?" 

Kaiba blinked. _What?_

"That's wrong; really, really wrong. Can't you just answer without knowing?" 

_What?_

"Ugh, you're enjoying this. Forget it." 

_Hey, don't forget it! Swallow your pride and answer the damn question! _

"Yeah, bye," Joey said glumly. 

_Damn it._ Kaiba stood, finding the sweatpants hanging half-off the bed; he pulled them on before heading out to Joey. The blond was sitting on the floor in front of the TV; his legs were pulled up to his chest, and his chin rested on his knees. He appeared pensive, but he looked up at Kaiba and smiled. "Hey," he greeted softly. 

"So Alex is okay?" Kaiba asked, making himself comfortable on the loveseat. 

"Oh." Joey looked embarrassed. "He's fine." 

"Did you plan this?" 

Joey nodded, then shook his head, then paused, and then nodded again. "Not all along – Yugi's call was a surprise – but Tristan dropped by while I was working, and we had a little talk. He offered to take Alex for the night." 

But that wasn't what Kaiba really wanted to know; there was one thing he needed to be sure of more than anything else: "Did you really want to?" 

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Joey turned and looked at Kaiba, and for a moment their conversational roles were switched. 

"I just have a hard time believing a chat from a friend could have such a drastic effect on – " 

"I wanted to," Joey interrupted in frustration. "Why don't you get that? I have never met anyone as paranoid as you. I mean, yeah, you've been frustrated – a blind man could tell – but it's not like I was wildly satisfied with how it was going. I'm just as needy when all is said and done. I just… When I weigh my options, I usually come out more scared than horny." 

"Scared of me?" 

"No!" Joey was defiant for a moment, then stilled. "A little. You're an intense guy…" He looked like he was suffering a major blow to his pride as he continued, "You always were; a little part of me knew I probably shouldn't have fucked with you, but who ever listens to logic, right? But there's more to it than just you. There's a lot…" 

"Tell me." Kaiba came off more demanding, rougher than he meant to. 

But Joey just shook his head. "No. I… Don't worry about it; I'll figure things out." 

"Idiot," Kaiba said softly, but he beckoned Joey to him; it was a relief that the blond didn't hesitate to take the invitation. Kaiba pulled him close, wrapping his arms around the blond's waist. It seemed like a good idea – more reassuring than anything Kaiba could think to say. 

"This is really gay," Joey sighed, curling close to Kaiba, pillowing against his chest and closing his eyes. 

"So are you." 

Maybe if he said it enough, Joey would believe it. 

**-end chapter fifteen-**

* * *

**- notes -**  
For yet another chapter, we tip our hats (or glasses, or whatever you feel like tipping that's approriate to talk about ^^) to Sarasusa, who was super!helpful and beta'd again. :) 

I hate editing chapters, lol, and this is no exception. I mean, it doesnt feel horribly incomplete, but it doesnt feel quite right either. Maybe that's just me. ^^;;; 

I don't have too many thoughts here, mainly because I'm *cough*nervousashell*cough* about the whole thing; it's a pretty big transition being made here. Actually, the story does that for a bit -- skips around. So I'm nervous about the remaining chapters. It's only -- what, nine? Psh, it'll only give me a minor heart attack. ^_~ 

In minor seriousness, you gotta love that Joey connects Kaiba's ability to be an asshole to his masculinity. XD 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers::..**  
darkmus: XD YuugixMokuba is one of my favorites -- finally, someone who doesnt have to bend down to kiss Yuugi! XD!!! Thanks! :) 

Alexander The Grand: lol, thanks. ^^ I loved Bust A Move; almost as fun as tetris. XD 

Elsalhir-Erestar: Yeah, poor Joey's got some issues. ^^;;; lol, did I say THAT? 

ColeyCarissa: Heh, Joey... he's complicated. Thanks. :) 

Lightning Sage: haha, I liked that line too. XD Yeah, poor Joey is confusled. 

Sorrow/Dark Star Goddess: ooh, sorry to hear that you're sick. u.u Thanks! :) 

Yami) white Rain: ^^ Gotta love Kaiba-sarcasm. Thanks. 

Tadashi, Fire Dragon of Darkness, eyes0nme19, Cathexus, Katie, Mors Laminil, Child of Insanity, Ranma Higurashi, Chronicles Bailey: *bow* _arigato_

gyrrlgenius: Yeah, we've got Jou pretty much figured out (lol, there's still a few bumps). :) Thanks! 

Angel-Belle: Haha! I'd say you've just about nailed him, too. ^^ 

Nenya85: haha, I'm sure they could. XD Thanks. 

BarbedWire23: Hmm, I don't purposely update on Fridays, lol, it just seems to happen like that. ^^ Thanks. :) 

Alithiel: lol, ~someone~ sounds like a Gravitation fan. *thumbs up* Thanks. :) 


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Apologies for the inconvenience, but we ended up editing this chapter for FF.net too. But this should be the last one. ^^ Like before, the unedited version is at my site, mediaminer, or here:  
(sans spaces)** http:// adultfan.nexcess.net / aff / story.php?no=14804&chapter=18 

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

Kaiba knew things were getting domestic when he tripped over toys in his own bedroom. Or maybe it was that after tripping over said toys, he was able to turn around and bitch at Joey for it, who was in his bed with his head buried under a pillow to block out Kaiba's swearing. 

"Damn it, if the kid has toys in his own room, what the hell are they doing in mine?" Kaiba demanded. That was another sign that things were getting homey: ever since the night in the apartment, Joey had ended up staying with Kaiba often enough that one of the guestrooms became Alex's unofficial bedroom. 

Joey grumbled, "He's a kid; kids make messes." 

"I know that." Kaiba sighed. "You're hopeless." 

"Good. Let the hopeless sleep." 

"You've got work today." 

Joey groaned and lifted the pillow enough to look at the bedside clock. "In two hours – that's an hour and a half to sleep." With that he dramatically pulled the pillow down onto his head. 

It was just like they had done every morning for nearly two weeks. Well, sans the toys; it was the first morning that Kaiba had stepped on any toys. And like always, Joey would probably still be asleep when Kaiba left, and the kid would be running around with the staff. Yet somehow Joey would make it to work on time. Then they would be boss and employee; there would be no mention, not even the slightest joke or hint, of what may have happened the night before… or that morning. 

After work Joey would head to his apartment after work, and do whatever it was he did at his apartment while Kaiba was at work. He would call around eight or nine to see if Kaiba was home; if he was, then Joey would toss the kid in his car and head over. He almost always stayed the night, and the ritual would continue the next morning. 

Kaiba had started making it home before nine, but never earlier than eight. 

He frowned at Joey's sleeping form; the blond's head was still hidden beneath the pillow, and he was mostly cocooned in blankets. They had fallen into a routine without him noticing. It was a little bothersome, but mostly just surprising – Kaiba couldn't remember a time when his life fit so perfectly into a mold. 

He needed to shake it up a little bit. "Up," he ordered, stepping forward to take Joey's pillow. 

"No," Joey protested, eyes firmly shut. 

"Yes." 

"Why?" 

"Because you're going to take a shower." 

"I shower when I get home from work." 

"No," Kaiba corrected, "you'll shower now." 

"And if I don't?" Joey challenged, and one eye popped open to look at Kaiba. 

"Then I'll give you a reason to." Come to think of it, he rather liked that alternative better than making Joey shower – they DID have two hours… 

"Fine," Joey grunted, rolling onto his back and sitting up. He made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. There was the sound of more stumbling, then of something metal clattering to the floor. "Damn, Kaiba! How many light-switches does one bathroom need?" Joey shouted. 

"It's not like I put them there," Kaiba called back, looking around the room. Usually he'd be showering… He had messed with the routine, and he had no idea what to do with himself. He ended up falling back onto the bed, staring at his ceiling. He wasn't on his back often, but Joey had once teasingly told him that the ceiling was interesting. Of course, Kaiba had proceeded to give him something better to focus on than the ceiling. 

It wasn't some domestic dream-come-true; they still had their disagreements, and their arguments, and they didn't do things together outside the house. Not to mention that Joey was an emotional train wreck, just like Kaiba had once suspected. He could go from half-asleep and grumpy to horny in ten minutes flat; he could switch from pensive to dense in forty-five minutes without any explanation. 

Actually, Joey didn't explain much of anything; he could ramble for hours about things of little consequence, and he enjoyed listening to Kaiba talk, but when it came to what he thought or felt… Well, Kaiba expected that even HE would have opened up before Joey would, and the fact that neither of them was about to spill his guts seemed to bode dangerously. The only reason he avoided getting on Joey's case for being so close-lipped was that he really wasn't much better. 

Then again, it wasn't like things were horrible, either. 

"Hey, wise ass!" Joey called from the bathroom doorway; there was a towel wrapped around his waist. "I don't suppose I have any clothes here, do I?" 

Weirdly enough, he did. "The housekeeper put them in the bottom drawer," Kaiba explained, pointing towards his dresser. 

"I'll be damned." Joey shrugged, going to the dresser and kneeling down to dig through the bottom drawer; he held the towel firmly around his waist. Kaiba smirked and leaned down behind Joey, one arm winding around his waist. 

"You're so shy," Kaiba whispered in his ear, trying to ease the towel from Joey's fingers. Joey was still shy and jumpy about sex – they hadn't gotten past heavy foreplay, much to Kaiba's disappointment. 

"I just took a shower." 

"So?" He leaned down to kiss Joey's shoulder, fingers still working gently yet diligently to loosen Joey's grip on the soft fabric of the towel. 

"I can't have you…" Joey sighed contentedly, leaning back slightly against Kaiba, "…uh, getting me all sweaty." 

Kaiba smirked and gave up on the towel; he reached around it, fingers trailing teasingly over Joey's inner thigh. "We'd just have to shower again," he said simply. Joey hissed; he seemed just seconds from crumbling… 

There was a knock on the door. "Mr. Kaiba," the serious voice of Kaiba's butler came from the other side, "there's a phone call from the corporation for you." 

Kaiba sighed, leaning in to give Joey a mind-blowing kiss – and guessing by the look on Joey's face as he pulled away, he had succeeded. "I'll see you after work," he said as he stood. 

"Uh… Oh! I'm gonna go out with Tristan and Bakura tonight; they insist." 

"Is that so?" Kaiba asked, standing. Joey nodded. 

"Yeah, but I'll be back by midnight, okay?" 

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking my permission? Is this when you start calling me master and kissing my feet?" 

"No!" Joey said indignantly. "Fine. I'm going out tonight, and I won't see you until midnight." 

"That's better." 

With a roll of his eyes Joey turned back to the dresser and took out some clothes, and Kaiba went to answer his phone call, still clad in his pajamas. It seemed they got interrupted a lot, if not by work, then by Alex, or Joey's friends, or a phone call from Mokuba… While Kaiba didn't mind hearing from Mokuba, he was surprised that he hated being disturbed so often; he couldn't remember ever wanting time alone with anyone except his brother. Joey was definitely getting under his skin, much more than Kaiba had expected he ever could. 

The thought was both exhilarating and frightening. 

--

Kaiba nearly had a heart attack when his computer chair jerked back; it was midnight, he had been absorbed in work, and he hated being snuck up on. Luckily, before he did anything drastic Joey identified himself, simply by laughing. 

"Working? It's midnight, Kaiba; if you're not asleep, you should at least be relaxin' or something." Immediately Joey's hands went to brush through the brunet's hair. "I mean, look at this – you've already got some grey hair. At least it looks good there." His fingers continued to sift through Kaiba's hair, and after a minute Kaiba reached up to bat the hands away. 

"There's something very wrong with you," he replied. "Go to bed; I'm busy." 

Joey rounded the chair and pushed Kaiba back from the computer, grinning as he settled down to straddle his lap. "You work too hard," he said seriously. "You should call it quits for the night." He leaned down to kiss and suck on Kaiba's neck. 

"You're… playful," Kaiba sighed, reaching up under Joey's shirt, urging the blond closer. "Are you drunk?" 

"Nope," Joey replied, leaning away from Kaiba. "Hey, I have something for you. Close your eyes." 

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" 

"It's nothing bad," Joey elaborated. "I just… you know, it'll be more fun if you don't see." 

With a small sigh, Kaiba obeyed. A second passed, and then he felt something pressed into his hand. 

"Okay, you can look now." 

Kaiba looked down at his hand, then back up at Joey. "Since when did you start giving out lube as an offering?" 

Joey laughed. "I prefer to think of it less as an offering and more as a subtle way to say 'fuck me right now'," Joey explained; his hands went to the zipper of Kaiba's pants. 

Kaiba wasn't fooled – assured as Joey's words were, he had heard the masked waver in them. He let his 'gift' fall into the chair and grabbed Joey by the wrists. "You mean that?" 

"Yes," Joey said firmly. "Haven't we been over this before? You aren't casual, and I don't do things I don't mean. There, we understand each other, okay?" Joey's tone was impatient, even a little antagonistic. 

Kaiba ignored it. "Fine, but not in my computer chair," he replied, pushing Joey back. "We can at least make it to the bedroom like civilized people." Joey obeyed and stood, but the second Kaiba was up, Joey latched to him, and Kaiba's resolve to make it to the bedroom was lost when one hand slipped down the front of his pants, teasing him. 

"How does the couch work for you?" Joey asked, amusement evident in his voice. Kaiba nodded, and Joey grinned, leaning down to retrieve the lube form the chair. "Don't want to forget this." 

"Where did this mood come from?" Kaiba asked. "Usually you're much more timid." 

Joey seemed to falter for a second, and the faintest hint of a blush graced his cheeks. "I… I'm just in the mood, that's all." 

"Hmm, odd that you're in the mood after spending time with Tristan and Bakura," Kaiba mused, taking a seat on the couch. He idly tossed a couch pillow to the floor. "Every time, in fact." Maybe they were urging Joey to action; god only knew what those two could be capable of, and if they were pushing the issue… 

"I don't know what you're trying to say, and I don't think I want to," Joey said, moving to drop down onto Kaiba's lap – Kaiba managed to contain his sound of surprise. "If you spent a couple hours watching those two, you'd wonder if there was something you were missing too." 

"Missing?" Kaiba hadn't been aware that they were 'missing' anything; the relationship was imperfect, yes, but it didn't feel incomplete. 

"Yeah… I mean, there's obviously something between them that just clicks; I've never seen either of them as happy as they've been since they got together, and I've come up with two theories on why." 

"Which are?" 

"Well, either they're doing massive amounts of drugs behind everyone's backs, or it's the sex." 

"Are you suggesting sex makes a relationship?" 

"No, but it's definitely a factor." Joey started unbuttoning Kaiba's shirt, deliberately not looking up at him. "One that we've been missing. And, since I'm the one that keeps stopping, I figured I ought to rectify the situation. So, are we gonna spend all night talking about it, or – " 

Instead of letting him finish the sentence, Kaiba moved to switch their positions, pressing Joey back into the couch, holding himself up on his arms, which were positioned on either side of Joey's head. He opened his mouth to speak, but Joey was quick to interrupt, "You want me, right? I mean, there's no other reason you'd be with me if you didn't." One of Joey's legs encircled Kaiba's waist and pulled him closer; any objections Kaiba had were lost. Something about Joey's words was rubbing him wrong, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to pull away and work out what felt so wrong when the way that Joey's hips were gyrating up against him felt so right. Instead, he settled for leaning down and kissing Joey, one hand cupping a side of the blond's face. 

"You're going to be the death of me," he murmured, hand trailing across Joey's cheek; his index finger moved over the blond's bottom lip. "I just know it." 

With a grin Joey retorted, "Then we might as well make it worth it while you're alive." 

--

Afterwards, they didn't move right away – they just stayed curled together on the couch, and Kaiba could only way for Joey to say something. A few minutes passed, and nothing; Kaiba didn't want to wait all night, and he could tell by the semi-erratic rise and fall of Joey's chest that he was still awake. He nipped at Joey's neck. "Alive?" he asked, his voice surprisingly husky. Silence followed, and he felt Joey take a deep breath. _Well? I know you want to say something…_

"Oh my god," Joey finally breathed. Kaiba laughed and sat up, glancing over. Joey was blinking in an almost confused fashion, and slowly his eyes met Kaiba's. "Holy shit, thank you." 

"My pleasure," he replied with a grin. After a moment he added, "And yours too, I assume?" 

Joey just nodded and closed his eyes. "Jeez, we're a fuckin' mess now," he said, then released a huge yawn. "I say we take a shower and hit the sack." 

"Sounds like a plan." Kaiba reached for his pants; he pulled them on without even bothering to button them. Joey reached for his shirt and nothing else; he merely stood and stretched before he went for the door, shirt barely covering him. He stopped and looked back at Kaiba; he still looked a little dazed, and his hair was mussed. In nothing but a t-shirt, he looked ridiculously younger than he was. It was a little surreal. 

"Hey… I mean it, thanks," Joey said. He didn't look away like he usually did when he was embarrassed. 

"For the sex, or the shower?" 

"Neither… okay, well, the sex too, but I meant for dealing with my bullshit. This… it wasn't at all like I expected," Joey explained. 

"Don't worry about it," he replied nonchalantly, standing and stretching. "It was worth it." He was surprised to hear Joey laugh. 

"No wonder you run Kaiba Corp; you're the master of spouting bullshit." Joey was chuckling, and Kaiba rolled his eyes. 

"Shut up," he said, a surprisingly good-natured ring to his words. "Let's go take your shower." 

**-end chapter sixteen-**

* * *

**notes**  
*sigh* I hate editing stuff. It feels so wrong; this just feels really gross, how I chopped it, but I couldn't come up with a better way. ^^;; 'Tis how these things go, I suppose, though I highly suggest reading the full version of it -- mainly because I like it better, though I'm sure there was something deep and meaningful in there... somewhere... XD 

Thanks extended to Sarasusa for beta'ing ^^, Hannah for helping, and everyone over at LJ who listened to me bitch and bitch and bitch about this chapter for well over a month. Do you guys realize it took me that long to write the last half of this chapter? I didn't even have it done when I posted chapter fifteen. I was getting really anxious, lol. 

Actually, I am really anxious about this chapter; I ended up completely rewriting the second half (*smirk*), and then I had to rewrite the first part of seventeen to fit in all the things that got lost in the rewrite... yikes. Everything worked out, thankfully, but it had me on my toes. ^^ 

I think I like it, sort of... well, I don't want to say ~dull~ (if it was dull, something is very wrong. ^_~), but rather not-overly-dramatic. But that doesn't last long. XD 

* * *

**..::responses to reviewers::..**  
ColeyCarissa: lmao!! That's a good point. XD Maybe Joey has some reasons for that -- who knows? 

Yami) White Rain: ^^ Thanks, and good luck with that! :) 

Alithiel, Kaneda-Shotaro and Yami Tetsuo, Lightning Sage, MilleniumDaggerHolder, Ranma Higurashi, Chronicles Baily, gyrrlgenius, youko-moon, Vegeta2J: ^_^ Thankies!!! 

Alexander the Grand: haha, who needs homework? You wouldn't believe how much of mine has been sacrificed to the fan fiction gods whilst writing this story... ^^;;; Glad you liked it! ^^ 

Tanya Maxwell: lol, so now when something goes wrong, we can point at you and blame you? *kidding* Ooh, hope you have/had a good time in Europe! ^^ 

Jasper-Sable: You did? Holy crap. That's a lot. *freaks out* lmao, anyway, thanks! #^^# S'ok, I think I'd be a scared if people started bowing in my wake or something. ^^;;; But I admit that sometimes I forget that they're NOT teenagers in this fic, lol; it's one of those things I really worry about whilst writing. 

Tadashi: lol, I guess Joey just trusts Tristan... and maybe Bakura. XD Thanks! 

Nenya85: lol, yes, of all the things Kaiba has done/endured, being gay has got to be the least traumatizing. XD Yeah, you made sense. *thumbs up* Glad you liked it. XD 

Fire Dragon of Darkness: Nahh, I couldn't make it to the end without some more trauma. I mean, this has all been pretty smooth sailing thus far, you know? Anyway, arigato! ^^ 

Angel-Belle: lol, yes, Tristan & Bakura are something of the little goofballs of this fic, little as you've seen them... thus far... ^_~ Haha, that would be a funny scenario! XD Gotta love masculinity. 

Elsalhir-Erestar: *meep!* Gomen, babe; figured you knew. ^^;; lol, poor Joey wouldn't gotten all... de-mooded if Alex had walked in, poor guy! ^^ Heh, gotta love irony. 

Hush Puppie: *thumbs up* no worries. ^^ Thanks! Haha, yes, those men are assholes. XD 

Darkmus: lol, I hate trying to find places to end edited chapters -- it always feels really chopped, so I was pretty proud of that one. XD I like the unedited version too, for about the same reason. ^_~ 


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

It was morning too soon, and Kaiba instinctively pulled his lover closer, sighing. He was tempted to pull the covers up to hide them from the invading sunlight; he wasn't ready to get out of bed yet. 

His lover. 

Kaiba's eyes opened, and he stared down at Joey. The blond looked... peaceful. Kaiba wondered if he was the reason for that. He almost wished that time could stop; Joey was quite the sight to wake up to. It was nice to have someone to share his bed with, even if said someone had cold feet, snored, and stole his blankets... 

The bedroom door cracked open, and Kaiba looked over as Alex ran into the room and climbed up onto the bed. He plopped down unceremoniously in the corner, smiling at Kaiba. "Mornin'!" the toddler said brightly. "You stay home?" 

_Home._

Kaiba stared at Alex, blinking dumbly. Home. Someone had just called his house a home... He watched as Alex crawled towards Joey and attempted to shake him awake. A quick glance to the blond revealed that Joey was indeed awake – he was grinning, feigning sleep. Kaiba relinquished his hold, and Joey instantly whipped around to tackle his son, tickling the boy down onto the bed. All Kaiba did was watch and smile. 

_Home..._

The kid had a point, accidental as it had been. There was always life in the house if Joey was there. Even though it was still as simply adorned as it had always been, there was something about it that at times... Kaiba did feel at home. Comfortable. Sure, he didn't get quite as much done as he used to, but it was never too silent, not like it had been before. 

"Hello, earth to Kaiba," Joey said, waving a hand in front of Kaiba's face. Kaiba blinked and looked at the grinning blond. "Did you hear me?" 

"No." 

Joey laughed. "I said I'm gonna take Alex out for breakfast. You want to come?" 

"No, go ahead." 

"Okay then; I'll see you tonight, 'kay?" He rolled off the bed, standing and stretching. Kaiba took a minute to take in the sight of him stretched out, adorned in a pair of loose pants that threatened to fall off his hips... 

"Busy after work?" 

"Eh? No, not really, why?" Joey smirked. "Are you actually leaving early?" 

Kaiba hadn't intended to when he woke up, but the more he thought about it... "Yes." 

"Holy shit, it's a miracle. I'll see you after work, then." With that Joey left for the bathroom, and Kaiba rolled over to curl under his blankets, lost in thought. 

Home... Could he really think of the place he had once deemed as impersonal as a hotel as his home? And not just his home, but someone else's? It had always felt like such an empty shell of everything a home should have been, everything Kaiba had never experienced... 

His alarm beeped, and he grunted softly, sitting up. He looked towards the closed bathroom door. 

More importantly, could Joey feel at home with him? 

--

The question followed him throughout the day; it only took a short recess long enough for him to concentrate through a meeting, and once he was back at his desk, it consumed his mind again. 

It was a logical decision. After all, for Joey to pay rent for his apartment and then spend all his time at Kaiba's house was a waste of money. And if they were getting along just fine with him there most of the time, what was the harm in making the situation a little more permanent? 

_There could be a lot that goes wrong._

He ignored the pessimism. 

Of course, if Kaiba DID approach Joey with the idea, he couldn't do it for logic. It couldn't be out of convenience – not that there was a convenient thing about Joey. He disrupted Kaiba's schedule, distracted him from work... It was like having a pet. A sexy pet that walked, talked, and stripped. 

By three o'clock, Kaiba had done about half of what he planned to, distracted by more pressing issue of whether or not he really wanted to invite Joey into his home. 

By six, Kaiba had decided that he liked the idea, and left work – he had said that he'd be back early. He spent the ride home trying to figure out the next hurdle in his plan: what to say. Nothing he could come up with seemed quite right. Asking directly seemed a little formal, and he couldn't think of any way to make Joey think it was his idea... he didn't like the idea of beating around the bush either. He was almost tempted to call Mokuba and ask for help, but he abandoned that idea quickly; Mokuba would probably just tell him to say it. The younger Kaiba never had been very subtle. 

When Kaiba finally got home, Joey was sprawled out on the living room couch, snoring softly; Alex was asleep on the loveseat. 

Kaiba sighed and found a book – if he wanted to talk to Joey, it would appear that he'd have to wait. He sat in the armchair, but try as he might, he couldn't concentrate on his book. His mind wandered, and occasionally he would glance between the father and son asleep in his living room. They certainly looked comfortable... 

"Oh, hey," a groggy voice interrupted his thoughts, and Kaiba looked up to see Joey sitting up, rubbing his eyes. "Welcome home." 

That sounded so good, Kaiba almost considered leaving just to return and hear it again. 

"Thanks." Kaiba licked his lips, closing his book. If he was going to say anything, he had to come out and say it. "I have a question." 

"Shoot." 

Okay, he couldn't come right out and say it; beating around the bush it was. "Why do you pay rent for an apartment you're hardly in?" _Take the hint..._

With a laugh Joey replied, "Well, it's sort of the law; I can't really get around it." 

"That's not what I meant." 

"Oh." Joey shivered slightly before he continued, "I guess it's a place to have in case things don't..." he paused and looked away. 

"What?" Kaiba prompted. "I don't read minds." 

"Work," Joey finished warily. He looked at Kaiba and hurried to add, "Not that I want that, but it's a big thing, losing that security. Besides, why risk messing up a good thing? You gotta admit, things are pretty good right now." 

Did he sound afraid, or was that Kaiba's imagination? "They are, so I hardly see a risk in stepping it up a bit." 

"Sure, it looks that way," Joey replied cynically, "but it's a set pattern known by all mankind: things go good, the stakes rise, and then they go straight to – " 

"Quiet," Kaiba interrupted. Joey WAS afraid, and it was probably all about his past with relationships. Well, Kaiba had gotten past that once – he could do it again. "I don't bring people into my life casually, and I wouldn't ask you to stay here if I wasn't serious." 

"Yeah, serious..." Joey moved to sit on the arm of Kaiba's chair; his feet came to rest by Kaiba's thigh, and he leaned down on his knees. "You mean it when you say that?" 

"Say what?" 

"That you're serious. You really want me here?" 

"Yes," Kaiba admitted. He felt like he was being tested, and he didn't like it. Sometimes, he had to wonder what was going on in Joey's head. 

"Alex too?" 

"Of course." 

Joey looked pensive, and his eyes closed. "You're okay with having a kid around?" 

"Why are you asking such stupid questions? When did it become your nature to analyze things?" 

Joey opened his eyes and grinned. "Sometime during law school; I used to get yelled at for not asking enough questions. Just became a habit after a while." His smile faded, replaced with a serious expression. "So, how much for rent?" 

Kaiba's jaw nearly dropped at the question. "I'm not asking you to stay for income." 

"What, you mean you want me to stay for nothing?" Joey asked incredulously. 

"Yes." 

"You're kidding." 

_You know, most people might be excited by that prospect._ "Not at all," Kaiba assured him. 

"But that's like... you supportin' me. That's not necessary; I don't need to be taken care of." 

"And I don't want to take care of you," Kaiba elaborated. "I just want you around. Like we've been doing for weeks." 

"But..." Joey sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry." 

"For...?" Was that supposed to mean that Joey wasn't of like mind, that he was going to refuse over something as ridiculous as rent? Kaiba's blood boiled – damn it, he'd been so sure – 

"Being difficult; it's just weird. You really mean it?" 

Kaiba rolled his eyes and heaved a frustrated sigh. "If I have to say it one more time..." 

"I get it," Joey interrupted, and his grin returned. "I'd love to stay," he said softly, looking down at his feet. Kaiba tucked a finger under his chin and forced him to look up. 

"Why are you so wary?" he asked. Better to know sooner than wait for it to cause problems later; if he knew sooner, it could be fixed. 

Joey shook his head minutely, then wrapped his arms around Kaiba's shoulders, leaning down heavily on them. "I'm hungry; mind if I leave Alex here and go pick up some pizza?" 

Kaiba decided to let the topic change slide – he'd have to take it one victory a time. "That's fine." Joey leaned in to kiss him, but he lingered a moment afterwards. 

"Want any?" 

"No." 

"I'll bring you some anyway," Joey retorted. "See you in a few." 

Kaiba watched Joey leave, and wondered about the answer to his question. He had to ignore the fluttering of nervousness in his belly as he returned to his book. He hadn't realized how different it already felt, and he looked at the boy sleeping on the couch. The boy that he'd be seeing around his house all the time now, the boy whose father was going to be sharing his bed with... 

It felt much stranger than he had anticipated, but at the same time, it was... warming. He smiled. For once he didn't know what to expect when he woke up in the morning. It wasn't a bad feeling. 

--

"Fine, how about I call you Asshole – is that better?" Joey snapped. 

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Seto replied sharply. "It's hard to paint me as the bad guy when you're the one slinging obscenities." 

They were standing in Kaiba's den, staring each other down. 

Apparently, it would have been wiser if Kaiba had listened to his inner pessimism. 

One week. Life had lived up to Kaiba's silly hopes for one week; they had been living together for three. Those other two weeks... Well, sometimes Kaiba wondered if they had ever really gotten along at all, or if it had all been a very convincing illusion. So he was exaggerating – even to himself – but sometimes he did wonder what exactly he had been thinking when he suddenly decided that Joey was bed-worthy. 

They started fighting. Maybe fighting came with that whole domestic thing, but from Kaiba's understanding, domestic arguments weren't supposed to end with one party shouting at the top of their lungs and storming out. They were supposed to end with one party admitting they were wrong, they were sorry, and then everyone pretended it never happened. At least, that was how it happened on TV, and Kaiba didn't have any real-life role models of a happy home life. 

Kaiba wasn't sure who yelled more. All he knew was that he liked it a lot better when Joey was screaming in bed than when he was screaming in anger. At least twice Joey had stormed out with a dramatic "fuck you!" Once he had even thrown Kaiba's keys at him... But in all instances he had returned twenty minutes later to apologize. And then, like all those unsteady TV couples, they 'fixed' the problem by having sex and pretending nothing had happened... only to fight again a few days later – sometimes less. 

There were lots of little fights, but the biggest one – the one that never seemed to get resolved or leave them be – was about what Joey called him... or rather, what Joey wouldn't call him. At some point Kaiba had realized that they had been in some form of a relationship for nearly three months, and Joey was still calling him by his surname, even in bed. Not that Kaiba liked gratuitous use of his first name, but there were some situations where he would have preferred it, and with a lover was definitely right up there. 

Maybe he was just angry because he had conceded where Joey wouldn't, or maybe because it just felt so... detached. Figured – one of the few times he didn't want someone at arms length, that someone wasn't willing to pulled in. Of course, Joey wouldn't even give Kaiba a straight reason for WHY he was averse to calling him 'Seto.' 

"Sir?" a timid voice followed an unheeded knock on the den door, and both men turned away from each other to glare at the housekeeper as she peered in. "There's a phone call for Mr. Wheeler," she said nervously. 

There was only one person who had the balls to call Joey at the house – 

_What happened to home?_

– and Joey left Kaiba in the middle of their rage to answer. 

Yugi. 

Kaiba went to his desk, fumbling through papers to find something to do, something to occupy himself with, calm himself down. What he found was an unopened letter from Mokuba; he had gotten it at work that afternoon, but never found the free moment to read it. It seemed a good a time as any; maybe it would help his nerves. 

**Hi Seto!**

And right off the bat, a reminder of why he was so angry. _Damn it, Joey!_ He was even able to infiltrate Kaiba's thoughts when he was trying to forget. 

**How's Domino treating you?**

_Shitty._

**Life's good here; the kids have been awesome, and I guess spring is in the air – people have been adopting left, right, and center! I met the best girl, too. She's so hot! Her name is Mei. I'll have to send you pictures sometime; she's really shy, so it's hard to get her in front of a camera. **

Speaking of relationships, how are things with Joey? I bet that kid of his is tearing things up. And you two are losing your minds, right? Just kidding. It's just so crazy. You guys are just the strangest people to have hooked up; if we found all the people you went to school with and told them, I bet they'd FLIP. Well, it's only five years until the next reunion, I think; can you guys hold out? 

_Not likely._

**Well, I have places to be. Give me a call sometime, big brother – you're no stranger to the phone! And tell Joey and Alex I said hi. And everyone else. **

And take care of yourself, okay? 

Love, Mokuba 

(PS: Are Yugi and Tea still out of town, or did they come back?) 

That hadn't helped at all. 

Kaiba had been hoping that Mokuba would somehow have the foresight not to mention Joey – not that he could expected the younger to be a mind-reader; they both had an equal disbelief of clairvoyance, but it could have come in mighty handy right then. If only some of the optimism of Mokuba's letter would just rub off on him; that would be nice. 

And Yugi...! If his life had been a reality show, Kaiba had a sinking feeling that he would be the one voted off against the diminutive man. If Yugi called, Joey always dropped what he was doing to answer; the only time he hadn't, it was because they were in bed. At least once a week Yugi had issues with his new manager and asked Joey to take over. Hell, Kaiba was willing to bet his life that was why Yugi had called; the recreational calls never came before dinner. 

"I'm gonna go, Kaiba," Joey said, standing in the doorway and pulling on his jacket. He looked like he had calmed down, but that was no shock. He always calmed down after getting off the phone with Yugi. Either out of jealousy or because he simply wasn't ready to let their argument drop yet again, Kaiba felt the burning need to retaliate. He wanted nothing to do with Joey's calmness, not when the blond had him so damn angry. 

"Fine, Wheeler." He didn't need to emphasize the name; the fact that he had used it at all was enough for Joey to stare at him in shock, mouth fallen slightly open. 

"Huh?" 

"I said okay." 

"Not that." 

Kaiba refused to answer; Joey could figure it out on his own for all he cared – and he was sure that he cared too much. 

"Fuck it," Joey snapped when he didn't receive a response. "I don't know why I let you have your way so often." 

_Have my way...?_

Joey was gone before Kaiba could demand an explanation, leaving him even angrier. If Joey thought that was supposed to be an end to their argument, then he had another thing coming. Kaiba would be waiting when he got home, and he would get an answer to what the hell was going on. He was tired of it already; tired of arguing, tired of not knowing why they were arguing at all. 

It was hard to figure out what was worse: that a good thing was coming to an inevitable bad end, or that Kaiba had been foolish enough to invite it into his life. 

--

Kaiba found Joey sitting out on some old patio furniture later that night. It was a crisp spring night, and Joey's eyes were focused up at the sky, so much like the night when they had first really kissed. Difference was, Kaiba knew what was to come wouldn't be nearly as pleasant – at least, not to start with. 

"Do I even want to know what you mean when you say you let me have my way? I don't recall ever really winning any of our fights," Kaiba said smoothly, none of the gentleness he had come to use with Joey in his voice. 

Joey heaved a sigh. "Forget it," he mumbled. "I was just mad, okay? I don't think so logically when I'm mad." 

"Joey, you're always mad about something. Even I've never been such an asshole, not to the people I give a damn about." 

"You're an asshole to me," Joey replied, narrowing his eyes as Kaiba moved to stand in front of the sitting blond, glaring down at him. 

"When? Give me a specific incident where I did anything without you instigating me, and I'll back down." Kaiba's voice was rapidly rising to a yell. 

Joey blinked and looked away. "Look – " 

"No," Kaiba interrupted. "I don't know what's going on in your head, but I bet you're still hung up on this whole gay thing." Kaiba fumed and fought to keep his voice down as he asked, "What is it going to take for you to stop looking at me as some grand experiment and start seeing me for what I am?" Joey was silent, still refusing to meet Kaiba's eyes. "Answer me." 

"And what are you?" Joey shot back, facing Kaiba. 

"I'm your lover! What else would I be?" 

Joey gestured dramatically with his hands, as though that could convey his frustration better than words. "Lover, lover, what the hell is that? 'Lover' is a fancy way to say 'someone you fuck on a regular basis'! Where the hell are we supposed to go from 'lovers'? Nowhere! Where could we go? Do we just live out the rest of our days, shacked up in some queer fairy tale? I don't understand!" 

Kaiba saw it coming before he ever spoke –they weren't going to resolve anything, and it would be another night that Joey stormed out. Another night that they would end in bed, with Joey curled against him and murmuring apologies. 

"Why do you have to understand?" Kaiba asked. _I don't want to understand at all; if I try to understand, I'll know how ridiculous this all really is._ "You make it sound so damn difficult to just be happy." 

"Oh, is the great Seto Kaiba trying to give someone a lecture about being happy?" Joey scoffed. "At least in a normal relationship, we could – " 

"Are you insinuating that this isn't normal?" Kaiba snapped. 

"I...!" Joey bowed his head, almost in defeat. He was clenching the armrests of the chair he was sitting in. "This is so fucked up," he said, his voice almost a humorless chuckle. 

"Well no shit." 

The blond shook his head. "It's not going to work." 

Something in Kaiba's head clicked, and his chest clenched. The almost victimized tone of Joey's voice caught him off guard more than anything – did Joey actually think that he was the one being wronged? And was he... 

"It never really does at this point," Joey continued, and he stood so quickly that the chair fell back. He reached into his pocket and dropped something onto the patio table as he turned to storm back into the house. Kaiba looked down at the table. 

A key. At least it hadn't been hurled at Kaiba's head this time. 

Kaiba didn't see that coming, but he knew that it wasn't just typical routine. He didn't expect to see Joey turn back. 

But he didn't stop him, either. 

--

"Mr. Kaiba." 

Kaiba looked up from the papers he was holding to find Joey stopping the elevator door. If life was a soap opera, Joey would be apologizing. Apologizing for being such an asshole, apologizing for leaving last night and taking every trace of his presence with him. And Kaiba might even be inclined to apologize too, if Joey did so first: he could apologize for holing himself up in his den and pretending he hadn't heard Joey milling about and gathering his things. 

But his life wasn't a soap opera, and no one started an apology with the prefix 'mister'. 

"Need something?" Kaiba asked coolly, looking back to his papers. Joey stepped into the elevator, and the doors closed. They were alone. 

_Why aren't you talking? Say what you're thinking._

"I'm putting in my two weeks' notice," Joey said suddenly, as though he could sense Kaiba's urging. They reached Kaiba's floor, but Kaiba didn't move right away. He had to try not to let his surprise or disappointment seep into his voice. He had stayed cold and professional under more stressful situations, he could handle something as simple as letting Joey go. 

"Any reason?" 

"Going to Seattle." 

Of course. If only he had taken Kaiba's offer so long ago and saved them both a lot of pain. 

"Fine. You can leave this afternoon." 

"What?" 

Kaiba didn't understand why Joey didn't sound more excited. After all, he knew that the blond couldn't stay away from Yugi for long, and wouldn't want to wait any longer than necessary. He could only wonder if he had ever been deemed so important. Consider it a parting gift. Instead of voicing the sentiment, he shrugged nonchalantly. "As you've said many times, I don't really need you around here, so you're welcome to go." Besides, it'd just be an awkward two weeks. 

"Fine," Joey said curtly. "Been nice working with you." 

_That wasn't the best thing._

Joey didn't reach out to shake Kaiba's hand, or any other form of contact. Hell, he wasn't even looking at him. 

Kaiba stepped off the elevator and let it close behind him. 

**-end chapter seventeen-**

* * *

**notes**  
*hearts* to Sarasusa for the beta'ing. ^^ 

Fourteen chapters to get them together, and one to split them up. What a world, what a world... > Right about now, you see me getting cold feet about this whole story -- which is a pretty bad thing to do, considering we're 17 chapters into it. Hell, we're about 2/3's done, eh? I guess all the drama... Drama worries me. *hides* (lol, but for the record, we're not stopping -- it'll be a cold day in hell before we do. *thumbs up*) 

I got the name of Mokuba's barely-mentioned girlfriend from here: [ http:// www.babynamesorigins.com / chinesegirls.html ] So hopefully I havent made any scary culture infringement with that. ^^;;   
(because, to the horror of ashes, both Yuugi & Mokuba came out straight, and she could not get them in bed together. XD Besides, where there is a YuugixMokuba, there is usually a SetoxYami right behind it. *plot bunny*) 

So this chapter is probably the weirdest one, because it goes from two extremes at once -- 'yay! fluff!' happy' to 'ah, shit!' angst. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad effect, but there's been enough fluffish stuff for a while, right? ^^;;; 

* * *

**..::reviewer responses from last chapter::..**  
Mors Laminil, Tanya Maxwell, Ranma Higurashi, gyrrlgenius: #^_^# Thankies! 

ColeyCarissa: Thanks. ^^ I still don't like the edited version. 

Alexander the Grand: lol, your brain ticks? Mine sounds like crickets chirping, lmao. XD Thanks -- good look with that homework! (lol, and that last line: I feel like a soap commercial now. XD) 

Nenya85: lmao!! I like the term "enchantingly fucked up". XD I'm going to have to remember that one. It always amuses me, the little things that seem to go straight over Kaiba's head, but everyone else seems to catch. ^^ Arigato. 

Tadashi: aww, I hope you can make it to mm.org later p'raps. ^^ I like the domestic thing too; it makes me feel all fuzzy. :) 

youko-moon: lol, the idea of either of them married makes me laugh -- they always strike me as chronic bachelors, but I definitely see where they looked married. Thanks. :) 

katie: lol, Gravi rocks. *thumbs up* Glad you liked it. ^^ 

Fire Dragon of Darkness: I agree with the edited version -- it feels like there's a giant hole in it. Which, there is. So that makes sense. I dont know, I thought they were pretty dysfunctional in a not dysfunctional way. If that makes sense. ^^;; Anyway, dysfunction happened. :) Have (or had) a good Spring Break! 

Takara: Thanks. :) I fear for my eyesight, personally; I'm always on the computer. ^^;; 


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

Amazing how Kaiba hadn't noticed the passage of time since he had returned to Domino. Where had winter gone? He barely remembered it. It was already early June – Joey had been gone for two weeks. 

Kaiba had been back in Domino for about six months. 

So much had happened in that unheeded time: he had brought his company up out of a rut, employed Joey, developed feelings for him, watched Yugi leave, learned his secretary's name, and – most prominently – been reminded that hopes were for the weak and poison to the strong. 

He'd known it had been stupid. 

He'd known it'd end badly. 

He'd welcomed it despite all he'd known… He even missed it. Missed the good times. 

"Sir, there's a visitor for you," Marianne's voice invaded his reverie from the intercom on his desk; she sounded hesitant, even a little anxious. "He says it's important." 

"Send him in," he said simply, and turned to see her opening the door, letting Bakura in. 

Bakura was a lot like Kaiba remembered him – similar dress, same mane of hair, and not much taller – but he smiled differently, looked more relaxed than he had seemed as a teenager. He held up a plastic bag as if in greeting and then shooed Marianne out the door, closing it behind her. He took a seat across from Kaiba as he set the bag on the floor beside him. 

"Want to talk?" he asked as he made himself comfortable. 

"I thought Joey's nuisances left with him," he replied icily. 

Bakura smiled. "Nah. Look, I know you're not a big talker, but if I hadn't promised I'd try this, then Tristan was going to come up here and beat some answers out of you." 

_Answers to what?_ Kaiba didn't even know what the question was. "Why do either of you care?" he challenged. "It's no one's business except mine." 

"And Joey's," Bakura added. "You should know that Joey's business becomes the business of everyone close to him." 

"A shame for them, but I'm still not talking to you about it." _Whatever it is._

"Fine then, we'll have to make it interesting for you." 

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "And how do you expect to do that?" 

"We'll make it a game – you like games, right? By my feet I have a six-pack. We'll take turns asking each other questions, no limits. You don't have to answer the questions, but if you don't, you take a sip from your bottle. The game is over when someone forfeits or all six bottles are empty – whoever has the most empty bottles on their side loses." 

Kaiba saw the ploy immediately – it was all about lowering his inhibitions. It was simple, really. The more personal the questions were, the more a person was unlikely to answer and the more they would drink. As they grew more inebriated, their sips would get bigger, and the bottles would empty faster. Plus, the losing player would be more likely to divulge information; it would be a lose-lose situation all around. 

That was what Bakura was probably trying to do: hoping to play on Kaiba's dislike of revealing personal information to get him drunk enough to talk about Joey. Why the hell Bakura would want to talk about it – what there would be to talk about – was beyond him, though. But the game had one built-in flaw: for fairness, it could play into his hand just as well. He did have a few questions he'd like to ask… 

With a roll of his eyes Kaiba retorted, "All that work just to ask a few questions?" 

Bakura ignored his question. "You can ask whatever you want too – about anything. Hell, you can even go first." 

"Fine." 

Bakura nodded and reached down, pulling up two bottles – one he kept, the other he passed to Kaiba. The bottles had been stripped of their labels – only the paper's residue remained. Suspicious, but Kaiba let it slide and took that as an indication to start. 

"The night that you watched Alex, what did you keep asking Joey on the phone?" 

"How big you are." Bakura laughed at the dumbfounded expression on Kaiba's face and asked, "Do you miss Joey?" 

Kaiba weighed his options. He could handle a few drinks. He opened his bottle and took a sip. The liquid burned down his throat, surprisingly stronger than beer – what he had suspected they were drinking. Bakura laughed again, and Kaiba felt the overwhelming urge to embarrass the smug grin off the white-haired man's face. "So," he said neutrally, "are you top or bottom?" He didn't really care, but it didn't get much more personal than that. 

"Bottom – usually." 

Kaiba gawked. That wasn't the reaction he had been hoping for. 

"And you, top or bottom?" Bakura continued. 

Kaiba growled low in his throat and took another sip – his sex life was no one's business. "Weren't you shy at one point?" 

"Let's just say I've had someone beat some confidence into me." Kaiba looked at Bakura seriously; the other man immediately held up a hand and added, "Not literally, metaphorically. No one's ever laid a hand on me like that in my life. So… Have you been enjoying Domino?" Bakura was obviously stalling, waiting for something. What that something was… well, Kaiba wasn't sure he wanted to know. 

"Not particularly. You?" It sounded more like a parlor conversation than a game. 

"Of course. I'm in love and I've got friends; there's nothing not to like about this place. You: didn't you enjoy Domino while Joey was with you?" 

Kaiba took another drink, his silent protest at Bakura's prying into his life. "How hard did you and Tristan push Joey about our relationship?" It even felt like too much to say the word 'relationship' to Bakura; he'd never called it that to anyone except Joey. 

"Hardly at all. We just gave him some advice." 

"Did he ask for it?" 

Bakura clicked his tongue. "That's cheating, Kaiba; I have to ask you a question before you can ask another." 

"Then hurry up and ask one," Kaiba demanded. 

"Fine – do you think Joey would have done anything he didn't want?" 

"I never know with him. Again, did he ever ask for your advice?" 

"Always. He needed help with a few things, and he came to us. He was worried about a lot of things; I once heard him tell Tristan that he was worried that when it came to sex, he'd suck in bed. Did he ever talk to you about things like that?" 

_Never._ Another drink. "You ever fuck Joey? After all, no better way to give advice than demonstrate, right?" 

"What? Never. Do you think Joey cheated on you?" 

"No." The pace of the questions was more rapid, and Kaiba felt them coming without even thinking about it – one simply led to another. "What about Tristan?" 

"Not once; are you jealous?" 

Another question Kaiba wouldn't answer, and his first bottle was already half empty. "And Yugi; did Joey ever talk about something between him and Yugi?" 

"Yugi is straight as they come; trust me, I tried once. You ARE jealous! Do you love Joey?" 

Kaiba didn't just sip his drink; he gulped. "What am I drinking?" 

With a sneaky smile Bakura opened his bottle and knocked back his first sip. That probably wasn't a good sign. "Do you love Joey?" 

"You already asked that," Kaiba argued. 

"I never said I couldn't repeat questions." 

_Fuck!_ Kaiba hadn't thought of that, and he realized immediately that was cornered. Either he would have to come up with an answer, or he'd have to deal with losing. Unless he could find a question that Bakura wasn't willing to answer. 

But close to half an hour passed and Bakura answered every question Kaiba threw at him, from his sex life to favorite candy. Bakura just repeated his question, over and over; it was like a wave wearing down the shore – and Kaiba definitely felt himself wearing down. With each drink he took his head swam just a little more, and he grew more and more pissed off. He kept seeing Joey curled in his arms, smiling, laughing, gasping, screaming, sweating… 

"Do you – " 

"I don't know!" Kaiba shouted. "Sure, I'm not weeping over him, but that doesn't mean I don't miss him!" Kaiba didn't really want to say it, but the words were coming unbidden. Maybe Bakura's plan had succeeded; maybe the alcohol had loosened him to his breaking point. "But you want to know if I love him? Well, I don't know." 

A disgustingly sympathetic look crossed Bakura's face, and he nodded. "You win." 

"Huh?" 

"I forfeit the game. You win." 

"You…" Kaiba clutched the bottle he was holding. That was all Bakura had wanted. He had toyed with Kaiba for just one answer. 

"That's all I wanted to know," Bakura confirmed. "If I could give you some advice, you should sort out your feelings sometime soon." 

"Get out," Kaiba ordered. His feelings were his own to worry about, and he wasn't overly worried. 

"Right. If, by chance, someone I know stops by, tell them I said hi." 

_What?_

Bakura was out the door, leaving Kaiba alone with two and half bottles of alcohol. He took another drink. If he was going to be drunk, he was going to do it right. 

"What's with the sh– are you drinking?" Marianne was staring at him from the doorway. 

"It was a game," Kaiba answered darkly. "I won." 

"But drinking at work…" She stepped forward, taking the full bottles away and knocking the couple of empty ones into the trash. She didn't touch the one he was holding. "Should I call your driver?" 

"No," Kaiba said stubbornly, tipping back the rest of his drink and throwing the bottle towards the trashcan; it barely made it in. "I'll work just fine." 

"Sir…" She looked at him with concern. For a second, Kaiba hated it. He didn't pity himself, never had; seeing it in her eyes disgusted him. 

"I'm fine," he snapped. "Don't you have work to do?" 

"Yes sir." 

She left him alone, and Kaiba found himself staring out the window. The sun was shining as it made its descent to the horizon, the sky was a clear blue, and people below were running on the sidewalks. Kaiba was sure they were laughing – it would mean the world below was perfect. 

He didn't want to be in Domino anymore. Kaiba Corp was doing better than before; he could disappear for another fifteen years without notice. Hell, he could disappear forever without notice; Yugi was gone, Joey was gone, and there wasn't really anyone else who would miss him if he left. 

Even those two probably hadn't missed him much – they had each other. 

His focus was back to the outside world. It had shifted into sunset; the sky had become a brilliant show of orange and pink, and he had to stare in awe. For a minute, he could understand why people wasted their time staring at the sky, and he wondered why he hadn't, with such a view at his disposal. In the midst of that revelation, a voice softly called out, "Kaiba?" 

Kaiba closed his eyes. It couldn't be, it was impossible. Of all people… 

He looked back to see Yugi. The last person he had expected to see walking into his office. "I thought you were in Seattle," he said neutrally. His words were a little too heavy for his tastes, and he was feeling uncomfortably warm. 

"I convinced Tea to come back." Yugi didn't sit down but opted to stand a few feet from Kaiba's desk. 

"Oh. So the whole big happy family is back?" Kaiba asked sarcastically. 

Yugi shook his head. "No; Joey is helping Tea pack up our things. I came back early because I had some important things to do." 

"Like what?" 

"You." Kaiba cringed, and Yugi blushed, shaking his head quickly. "Wait, that's not what I meant! Oh damn." He sighed. "I…" He looked nervous. "Kaiba, every time I've lost someone, Joey's been there for me; no matter what was going on in his life, he always dropped it all to help me." 

"Lucky you." 

Yugi continued undaunted, "But I had to be there for him." 

Kaiba snorted. He was beginning to wish that Marianne had left some of that alcohol; it would've made the whole confrontation a little less unpleasant. "Are you going somewhere with this?" 

With a frown Yugi continued, "I was the one to listen to Joey while he ranted, swore… I think he even cried, though he'd be damned before he let me see it. He hated every second of it. The whole time – " 

Kaiba held up a hand to silence the man before him. "I've heard enough. You're desperate if you think I pity him; if he's so disgusted – " 

"That's not it!" Yugi interrupted. "Not once in the entire time he was with us did he say a bad thing about you. You don't get it; he's sabotaged every relationship he's ever been in. I've watched him do it for years, but he's never been so… goddamned broken about it." Yugi's shoulders heaved, and he was red-faced with anger. "But I guess I'm just wasting my breath, right? What would it matter to you – pity never moved the heart of Seto Kaiba. You probably don't even care that – " 

"Don't be foolish," Kaiba said quietly. "Of course I care." 

"You're probably just drunk," Yugi spat. Kaiba almost grinned; he had forgotten how angry Yugi got when it came to his friends' well being. 

"I'm not." 

"Sure you are," Yugi said. "I can smell it. Besides, I know all about Bakura's game. It was my idea." 

Kaiba blinked, licked his lips. No, Bakura was one thing; he hardly knew Bakura, and being manipulated by him… it was irritating, but little else. But for Yugi to do it… "Is this all some grand fucking plan?" he yelled suddenly; the words surprised even him. Maybe he was drunk; he didn't quite feel like himself. "Did everyone wake up this morning and say 'hey, let's fuck with Kaiba, he looks like he doesn't have enough on his mind!'?" 

"No!" Yugi protested. "We just – " 

"Out!" he bellowed, slamming his first down on the desk. It felt nice; he hadn't had a good outburst in a while. "I've had enough of you people and your excuses. I told Bakura, and I'll tell you and anyone else who decides to butt in, this is no one's business but my own. Now get out!" 

"Kaiba…" Yugi scowled and shook his head, but he left. That was all that Kaiba really wanted. He twirled around in his chair, glaring out the window again. The sky had faded to cooler nighttime colors; the stars were twinkling playfully against a backdrop of evening blue. A perfect summer night. 

Kaiba had a feeling it would have been much better if Joey had been there to see it. 

The phone rang – another introspective moment ruined. Kaiba was quick to answer. 

He didn't particularly enjoy soul-searching anyway. 

"Yes?" 

"Sir, we've got a problem in security." 

"What is it?" Kaiba barked, standing and looking around. First Bakura and Yugi, then security… 

"Random security cameras all over the building are going out; it could be a glitch, but just in case, we suggest you leave the building as soon as possible." 

"Understood." 

"We'll send – " 

"That won't be necessary." 

"But sir – " 

"Find the problem!" he ordered, slamming down the phone. He pulled on his jacket as he left the office. Marianne wasn't at her desk, and for a moment Kaiba worried. If there had ever been anyone he wanted to see make it out of the building in case of an emergency, she was one of them. As for the other… well, he wasn't in the building, so that wasn't a problem. 

The moment passed, and he made his way for the emergency stairs, running down them one by one – he stumbled towards the bottom and barely caught himself on the railing. After a minute he stood straight and shook his head before heading for the exit. 

He made it the parking lot in one piece, leaning wearily against his car. His head was fuzzy; he was in no condition to drive, and he knew it. Hesitantly he reached for his cell phone, intent on calling his driver. He'd make it home, sleep off whatever the hell he had drunk, and in the morning he could go back to work and pretend nothing had ever happened. He nodded and looked down at the phone in his hand. 

"Fuck!" he swore. The battery was dead. He shoved it back into his pocket; his keys were in the same pocket, and they brushed temptingly against his knuckles. 

It was official: the whole world really was out to get him. 

He looked at the car, at the ground, and then up at Kaiba Corp. He couldn't remember a day where he had felt so out of control, so utterly at the mercy of others. He could go inside and use the phone… but he didn't want the help. So pathetic that he couldn't even keep his own cell phone running? No. In fact, what better way to prove that he could control his own life than to get home without assistance? 

Yeah. He'd be fine. 

He felt better the instant he was inside the car, felt indestructible as the engine came to life. No, he didn't just feel it – he was it. No one had ever broken him, no matter how hard they twisted and pulled. 

"Fuck them," he declared loudly, peeling out of the parking lot. He'd survived his imitation childhood, survived attempts on his life – hell, he'd survived himself for thirty-one years. No alcohol or automobile was going to be able to strip him of that accomplishment. 

_For someone so boastful, I sure did bend quickly under Bakura's questioning. That looks a lot like breaking._

He frowned. He couldn't say that wasn't his fault. He didn't lie, and he was quick to take responsibility for his own faults, but… Joey was just as much to blame, simply for existing. For worming his way into Kaiba's life, for finding a place there where he fit… 

"Fuck you!" he shouted. He ran a red light. Everything he never said was suddenly spilling from his lips, and he felt that delicious power he'd claimed slipping away as quickly as it had come. "Fuck every second of my time you wasted, and every time you lied about what you felt; to hell with your secrets, with everything you refused to tell me!" He was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white, and though he was staring at the road, he didn't really see it. In fact, his eyes were burning. He tried to blink the sensation away. 

Seto Kaiba didn't cry. 

"And fuck everything you made me feel," he growled. He stomped down on the brake, not paying attention to where he stopped as he rested his head on the steering wheel. God, he needed to lie down. Too late he decided that he was wrong; he really shouldn't have been driving, not when he couldn't focus. 

He didn't even see the other car coming. 

**-end chapter eighteen**

* * *

**notes**  
Thanks Sarasusa! ^_^ 

lol, given that I updated on April Fools (okay, the night before, unless you count FF.net), I shoulda cracked some sort of joke here -- like, haha, they didn't break up: april fools!! XD 

That've been really funny. 

But, alas, no joke. As you can see. I want to say there weren't many jokes in this chapter at all, actually. ^^;;; Originally, when I was coming up with what to do in this chapter, the accident wasn't at all Kaiba's fault -- the security cameras going out were actually very serious, he was sober, there was a bomb, an explosion, and *end chapter*. Buuuttt that didn't seem to do the drama right. It made more sense that Kaiba would suffer because of his own stubborn stupidity. Plus Bakura was bent on doing something devious. o.O 

Little thing that bothers me -- there's supposed to be a little ` over the "e" in Tea, but for some unknown reason, when its there, some places absolutely refuse to recognize it. Now every time I see her name, I think they're talking about tea. *bothered* Anyway, now that THAT'S out of my system... 

You know, this whole Kaiba and his angst reminds me of an Ani DiFranco song (actually, a lot of KaibaxJou reminds me of Ani DiFranco music, and, erm, vice versa). In this particular case, it's "Untouchable Face," and while I could quote half the song (lol, I'm exaggerating. a little.), there's one particular part that sticks out at me: 

_"Fuck you  
And your untouchable face  
And fuck you  
For existing in the first place  
And who am I  
That I should be vying for your touch?  
Said who am I?  
I bet you can't even tell me that much"_

* * *

**..::review responses::..**  
Dream-Chaser668: lol, I didn't do it -- it was all them. XD Thanks. :) 

Angel-Belle: yup, read your analysis. ^_^ Heh, yeah, Kaiba probably should have done something more, but Kaiba and doing something like that... doesnt seem to mix well, lol. XD 

Elsalhir Erestar: :) Thanks! lol, you naughty perv. XD but Jou... apparently decided that being reasonable was too difficult. ^^;;; So we'll have to see what happens. 

Girl of Grace: Aww, gentle on the Yuugi-kun -- he's got to live. ^_^ Thanks, and Jou and Kaiba could use a swift kick in the ass, lol. XD 

Nenya85: ^_^ You know, that line was so random -- it got thrown in there right before I sent it the beta. Hmm, interesting, that you picked that up about Joey. ^_~ Glad you liked it. :) 

Sorrow/Dark Star Goddess: *has gone into a diabetic coma* lol *kidding -- not diabetic* Aww, yes, goodbye fluff. Ahh, how we shall miss you. *salute* Worry not about the lack of reviews. :) 

Tanya Maxwell: Happy (belated) April Fools. We'll have to see what happens to them. :) 

Lightning Sage: lol, awww! ^_^ Thanks. Don't hyperventilate too much. ^_~ 

shadow-demon18b: You'll have to wait and see. :) 

ColeyCarissa: aww, *kleenex*. I imagine Joey was just being distant and stubborn. Strikes me as something he'd do. Yeah, Kaiba probably could've used someone here to stop him from doing something stupid. *cringe* ^^;; 

BarbedWire23: #^_^# Sankyuu. 

Mors Laminil: Ooh, but being stabbed isn't on my list of things to do. (no matter what my brother wants to think. XD) Thanks! 

Tadashi: Yeah, lol -- they were doing so well! XD Thanks, and will do. :) 

youko-moon: lol, it wasn't me, it was them, I swear. XD Thanks! Yeah, maybe its the effects of winter wearing off -- I'm sure we'll see more fluff with spring and summer. Or more creative, warm angst. If that makes sense. ^_~ 

Katie: lol, no worries. ^_^ But maybe getting the stick OUT of his butt isn't quite the issue.... *bad humor*shame* 

Ranma Higurashi: ^^;; Yes, sadness indeed. :) 

darkmus: *snicker* I remember the wibble... XD Anyway, hmm, I cannot tell you if you're being too critical or not. So negh. XP lol, yes, poor Seto. He needs some lovin'. Damn Jou. ^^ 

Fire Dragon of Darkness: You know, something about a pairing that DEMANDS dysfunction makes me giggle. ^^ Thanks! (and I'm ~in~ Kansas, but not from it, thankfully. ^^;;) Hmm, interesting observation on the L-word -- we'll have to see indeed. ^^ (Haha, I loved your make-up sex observation. XD) 


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

The first time he woke up, Kaiba could hardly bear to keep his eyes open. It just hurt – he hurt. In fact, he could barely focus on anything he saw or heard; he caught a few fuzzy images and a couple of muted words. 

Yugi was there, rambling and rambling and rambling… Kaiba would have been much happier if he just shut up. All he caught were the words "plane" and "car." After that the pounding in his head became unbearable, and he decided he'd rather go back to sleep and pretend he hadn't noticed Yugi at all. He was still angry at the smaller man anyway. 

The second time he woke up he could see, hear, and generally focus just fine, but he felt like a wreck and didn't really WANT to focus. There were too many questions bothering him. Where was he? Why was he there? He might have closed his eyes and gone back to sleep if he hadn't noticed Mokuba leaning over him. That was odd – why wasn't Mokuba in China? The younger Kaiba was red-eyed, as though he'd been crying. Kaiba tried to smile reassuringly, but that only made Mokuba cry more. 

"Big brother, you woke up," he sobbed softly, wiping his eyes and smiling. 

Kaiba fell asleep some time after that. 

It was all rather disorienting, the waking up and falling asleep, and Kaiba had no clocks to tell him the time; he just looked out the window when he woke up to see approximately what time it was. He was sure that he was in the hospital: the smell, the look, the occasional nurse checked on him… it all indicated that he was right. 

Once he thought he heard Alex yammering, but had decided that he was still dreaming and didn't even bother to open his eyes and look around. Another time he woke up and thought he saw Joey. He had only blinked and closed his eyes; he didn't know what to say, and he was a little worried that he was hallucinating – he'd heard stories about some painkillers... 

He finally woke up completely coherent, and he heard Mokuba yelling at someone – no, he was screaming. Whoever it was, they were arguing back, and then another voice joined the din… There were four or five people shouting in the hallway, and Kaiba had a pounding headache. He endured it for maybe five minutes before he finally shouted, "Shut the hell up out there!" 

A doctor had threatened to sedate him after that, but he didn't particularly need it – yelling had taken enough out of him. _Wimp_, he mentally chastised himself. He must have been really messed up if he could barely yell. If only he knew WHY he was in the hospital. 

Oh. Right. The car. 

He cringed and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he didn't even want to know what happened. He opened his eyes again and surveyed his injuries. There was a bandage on his head – probably covering stitches, from the feel of it – and brace on his right wrist. All things considered, he looked like he was doing pretty good compared to how shitty he felt. 

After a while he woke up feeling something close to normal, just sore. He sat up slowly, and it was something of a personal triumph that he didn't feel like passing out once he was upright. It was dark in the room. 

Joey was by the window, staring out. The image was strangely comforting, if not confusing. So Kaiba hadn't been hallucinating… 

"So you're not dead," Joey sighed. He sounded more relieved than angry. "I was getting a little worried." 

"What are you doing back?" Kaiba asked. 

"Just making sure you're alive, but I probably should've known that you're too stubborn to die yet." Joey didn't move from his seat, still gazing out the window. It took Kaiba a minute to come up with a decent reply. He couldn't understand why Joey would be worried when it had been clear to him that the blond hadn't cared that much when he left. Was he supposed to be happy to see Joey, or angry? 

He had to say something. "You didn't need to wait by my bed to see if I'm alive." 

"No, I guess not." Joey's tone was purposefully even, a façade of calmness. That usually meant he was angry. Kaiba wasn't sure what Joey thought he had the right to be angry about. 

"And you don't need to stay now that you know I'm okay." 

Joey nodded but didn't move to leave. Kaiba didn't exactly ask him to either. If they didn't talk, if they just sat there, it almost felt like nothing had happened – a coping method Kaiba had gotten quite good at since starting his relationship with Joey. It could just be another night where they sat in silence, enjoyed each other's company while they got over whatever they had been fighting about. Nights like that, Joey would pretend to be half-asleep and cuddle against him, nestle his head against Kaiba's shoulder… 

"That was really stupid," Joey said suddenly, a new edge to his voice. Of course he wouldn't shut up. Kaiba had to have known it would be a short-lived delusion. 

"Pardon?" 

"Getting in the car like that – I would think that you'd know better, Kaiba. As your lawyer, I should let you know that – " 

"Hold the speech, Wheeler." 

Joey twitched, and retorted, "No, you can hold it for one damn minute. Of all the stupid things you could have done, why would you do THAT? Did you just wake up and think it would be fun to risk life and limb just to…" Joey's voice shook, and he took a deep breath. "Why were you drinking, anyway?" 

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. He refused to be chastised like a naughty teenager, especially while he was in the hospital; not only was he an adult, but on top of that, Joey had no right to assume he could tell Kaiba off like that. "And how would know that I was?" 

"What, you mean besides the impressive blood-alcohol level and Marianne talking to me?" Joey retorted sarcastically. "Mokuba. I've only heard bits and pieces of it, but whatever happened, he's pissed off." 

_Hence the yelling._ "Bakura…" Oh, right; it had been Yugi. And speaking of Yugi… That'd prove to be an impressive topic change, if Kaiba did say so himself. "So, Yugi told me something interesting." 

Joey stiffened and turned to look at him with wide eyes. 

"So, I'm just another sob story to add to your collection? I bet I'm the most interesting, given all your issues with men." 

"No, it wasn't…" Joey sighed wearily; he was turned away from Kaiba, and he head was bowed – he wasn't looking out the window. "It just happens." 

"You make it happen," Kaiba accused. "I didn't bring you into my life just so you could run off like the world had done you some great injustice." 

"Look, I know its – " 

Kaiba shook his head and silenced the blond. He knew the routine, and he wasn't going to fall into that pattern – wouldn't let himself waste time to salvage the unsalvageable. He had better things to worry about, and he refused to get hurt again. Once was enough. "I don't care to know what it is or your excuses. I've heard enough excuses from enough people in the past two weeks; I don't want anymore." 

"Fine," Joey seethed. "I don't know what I was thinking, hopin' you'd…" he murmured to himself and he stood, yanking on his jacket. "Have a nice life." 

Kaiba watched him leave for the second time, but he had bidden the retreat, he wanted it… 

Strangely, it still hurt just as much. 

--

"Well, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?" Kaiba demanded as Mokuba entered the room that morning. His younger brother smiled and held up a small parcel. 

"Can I explain while we play?" 

"And what is that?" 

"Travel Scrabble – you still remember how to play our game, right?" 

Kaiba nodded; that was something they hadn't done in a while. It sounded fun… even a little soothing. "Fine. Come here." 

They sat facing each other on the bed, the food tray between them; the little Scrabble board was laid out on it. 

"How long?" Kaiba asked, wrestling to shuffle around the miniscule letters with his left hand. 

Mokuba looked thoughtfully at his tiles. "Four days. You were drunk. I swear once I get Yugi alone, I'm going to kick his ass from here to – " 

"Whoa, kid," Kaiba interrupted. Fifteen years ago, listening to Mokuba curse Yugi's name might have been music to his ears, but at that moment, he didn't even want to bother thinking about his ex-rival. "Less vengeance, more explaining." 

"Oh, right." Mokuba played a word and continued, "Well, there's not much to say; you drove, you stopped at a cross section – you dumb ass – and the other car came and hit you. The other driver is fine; not more than a couple bruises on her – I guess you both lucked out. I've already gotten a new lawyer into Kaiba Corp; I can't believe you've gone two weeks without one. All three of us sat down to discuss the issue, and we settled it." 

"How much money?" 

"Not too much; she didn't really want to risk taking on Kaiba Corp anyway – we just had to make sure she wouldn't go to the press either. I handled them too, for the record. Anyway, I've been taking care of business the past few days; the deal you guys were working on was settled yesterday, and Marianne is taking Friday off for her daughter's wedding. The lawyer already threatened to quit twice, and I had to fire two lower employees for trying to hack into your computers while you were gone." 

Kaiba whistled lowly. "All that in four days? I'm impressed; we would've made a hell of a team." 

"Three days – I had to take a day to get here. Besides, it just reminds me that I don't like business. I haven't had a decent night's sleep since I got back, with worrying about you and dealing with the company." 

Kaiba resisted the twinge of guilt he felt at that and smiled. He exchanged all seven of his tiles. "It's not for everyone." Another long silence ensued, and there were four words on the board before Kaiba asked, "So how's this Mei girl you keep talking about?" 

"She's doing good," Mokuba answered fondly. "I was considering bringing her back with me, but I didn't really want her to meet you when you've been messed up like this – which reminds me, the doctor told me to let you know that you need to lay off the computer work for a while unless you want an impressive case of carpal tunnel." He added triumphantly, "I told you that you work too much." 

"I'll live." 

"You almost didn't." 

"Almost doesn't count for anything." Kaiba played a word. 

Mokuba just sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes I don't get you, Seto," he said. 

"Sometimes I wouldn't want you to." 

They ended up finishing the sentence without talking – Mokuba's point – and had started another before Mokuba spoke again. "I've never played this with anyone else. I always thought it was special because it was ours, so I don't want to share it with just anyone; it'd have to be someone important. Don't you agree?" 

Kaiba nodded, focusing on his tiles. 

"Besides, it's a hard game to play; not everyone really has the patience. Sometimes, I like to play alone because it makes me think of you. It's not the same, but it's nice." 

"You're awfully affectionate over a game," Kaiba responded, not looking up. Mokuba was talking strangely, like he was reading out of a book, or reciting something he memorized. 

"I'm just saying that the game really stirs some emotions in me. Maybe I'll play it with Mei. Do you have anyone to play it with?" 

"I've only played with you and…" Kaiba stopped and looked at Mokuba, and it was like the whole plan had been unveiled. Clever kid as always. 

Mokuba nodded, as if in encouragement. "Joey." 

With a quick swear, Kaiba nodded. 

"And who won?" 

"We… tied." 

"Ooh," Mokuba sounded too interested. "You should finish that game; I hate ties." 

"That won't be necessary." Kaiba would be damned before he got tricked into opening THAT particular Pandora's box again, not after he'd succeeded in all but throwing Joey out the night before. 

There was a pause – obviously something Mokuba hadn't planned on. 

"Damn it," the younger finally sighed. "It's impossible to make you do something using subtlety, did you know that? Seto, I know things went bad between you and Joey; I've heard bits and pieces of it from everyone – well, everyone except you and Joey. Usually I'd just let you… well, make up your own damn mind about this sort of thing, but… Well, I like knowing that there's someone here to keep an eye out for you. Seto, do you know Joey has been in here the past two nights? I'd leave, do some work, take a nap, come back at midnight, and he'd still be watching you." 

"Hmph. Probably trying to find ways to kill me and make it look like an accident." 

Mokuba shook his head. "No, you'd have to see him… You haven't looked at me since I mentioned him. I bet you don't want me to see that look in your eyes." 

"What look?" Kaiba asked cautiously. 

"The same look he had when he watched you: the one that screams that it shouldn't be over. I don't know what happened, and I don't really know how you feel about it, but I do know what you're unhappy. I can see it. Marianne told me that you've been being tougher than usual. Hell, even that son of a – " Mokuba paused, took a breath. "Even Yugi can see it, and he… Well, he's biased." 

Kaiba looked up to find Mokuba watching him. There wasn't pity or contempt in his eyes, just… understanding, almost. "It's my job to watch out for you," Kaiba said softly. He was starting to feel like the younger brother, and he wasn't so sure he liked it. 

"Everyone needs a break," Mokuba replied. "But don't worry too much about this thing with Joey, okay? Focus on getting better first. Besides, you're my big brother – you can solve any problem, and you'll figure out the right solution eventually." 

Problem… That just left Kaiba to discern exactly what his problem with Joey was: that Kaiba missed him, or that he wanted to try to get Joey to come back. 

He nodded mutely and turned back to his Scrabble tiles. 

**-end chapter nineteen-**

* * *

**notes**  
*bow* to Sarasusa. ^_^ 

FALSE ALARM!!! XD Lol, I feel ~really~ bad, because as worked up as everyone seems to have gotten, this is sort of anticlimatic in comparison. ^^;;;; *amused* Okay, okay, so am I allowed to say the word 'funeral' now without scaring people? XD 

So, true, the car accident was a bit cliche'd -- I admit it, *bow* -- but I don't think anything short of death or kidnapping was going to get them in the same room together, lol. And on injuries... yeah, they sucked. ;.; We're going to call Kaiba very lucky at this point. ^_~ 

As for the conversation between Kaiba & Joey: it's difficult, lol, because there's a lot of anger and typical indifference to deal with, plus the fact that they have more of a past... There's a lot going on beneath the surface that I don't think either was quite willing to say, so it comes off very weirdly. Plus, I think Kaiba would definitely feel like a tool after Yugi told him that Joey had a habit of sabotaging relationships. So... I don't know, as much as it DOESN'T convey, I hope it does enough. 

There was originally a pink bunny incident that got cut from this chapter -- that is, a lot of the people I've known who've been on painkillers talk about seeing little pink bunnies. However, it turned out a little too goofy, so... ^_~ 

* * *

**..::reviewer responses a-hoy!::..**  
Ember Elidd, eyes0nme19, redkite1019, Lightning Sage, AllMetalTarnishes, Ranma Higurashi, Eikou: ^_^ _arigato!!_

ColeyCarissa: Well, as you can see, Seto is fine, just a little banged up. *thumbs up* Yeah, Bakura was being awfully sneaky about that. 

omg: nice name. ^_~ Well, he's not dead, and Joey... well, I'm hoping this cliche isn't going to be TOO awful, but I couldn't think of any other way to get them in the same room after that fight, lol. XD 

Tanya Maxwell: lol, that WOULD'VE been a riot if Joey had been in the other car -- "Yeah, I was just on my way to see you!" *snicker* Yeah, I had a lot of fun with Bakura (and am not quite done with him ^_~). 

Kagemihari: lol, yeah, that thingie. Is there a button for that on the keyboard... *looks around* There's the apostrophe... Anyway, yes, angst. ^^; I pity poor Kaiba. ;.; The guy just can't cut a break. 

Alexander the God: Haha, I know so many gods, its not even right. XD lol, thanks. :) I think I made up the drinking game, though with the way the world works, someone else thought of it first -- I was sitting around, thinking about drinking games, thinking about what to do for this chapter, and that occured to me. Ooh, hope your self evaluation went well! 

darkmus: XD Are you implying that Kaiba is 'loose'? ^_~ Bad humor aside, oh! Don't cry! It was all just a ploy to get them in the same room, see? ^^ and breathe, dear. :) 

Tadashi: lol. Ten points on clairnoyance. XD 

Sakata Ri Houjun: ^_^ Thanks. Yeah, we have some pretty typical cliches, admittedly, but I honestly couldn't think of a better way to get them in the same room, lol. ^^;; *cheating* But yeah, ending wise... well, lets just say it took me a while to figure out what ending to come up with. 

laedii: you're not dying, are you? *panic* lol, thanks. :) 

youko-moon: lol, yeah, Bakura and devious are just a cute combination. ^^ I don't know, I think Joey was the one doing more hurt in the relationship. :) thanks. ^^ 

Nenya85: Heeeyyy, that ~is~ sad -- I never caught on to that. *ponder* But that is a good point; they sort of don't see both sides of the issue, but they aren't quite done yet. Thanks! 

BarbedWire23: Awww, that would be cute. ^_^ Thanks! 

Fire Dragon of Darkness: Tea is yummy. Pick one. XD Awww, I kinda like fluff. You know, you're the second person to mention the idea of Joey being in the other car -- that had never occured to me at all! Interesting. But yeah, Kaiba ~really~ shouldn't have gotten in the car. 

Yami) White Rain: It's all good -- FF.net has been a real meanie lately, eh? ^_^ Aww, sorry to have made you cry -- Thanks! 

Cynthia Chen: It's all good on not reviewing -- I'm glad you've been enjoying it. :) Yeah, it seems that Joey's at fault more often, but there is a bias there. But no matter how ~I~ look at it, Kaiba was doing a pretty good job, so... Yeah. But Joey's past definitely interests me; the only thing we really know is that he had a bad time with relationships. Thanks! ^^ 

Mors Laminil: Yeah, it was definitely one of those "Oh! I see it coming!" But, personally, I enjoyed his ranting in the car. Thankies! 

Elsalhir Erestar: *is hardkore glomped* lol. Yes, well, it would have been a pretty funny April Fools, and you know it. XD But that was an interesting chain of ideas you tied together there. We'll have to see what happens. ^^ 

Angel-Belle: Heh, yeah, I could see Mokuba and Joey cracking some skulls. ^_~ They'd make great Seto bodyguards. Aww, happy belated easter, and I'm sorry it sucks. ^^ Thanks! 

Alana-Star: Heeeyyy, no one said he was dead. Though I was trying to scare everyone into thinking it. ^^;;; 

Shousetsuka1: #^_^# Thanks. Yeah, domesticality (is that word?) wouldn't have felt quite right. But two days? Wow -- go you. ^^ 


	21. Chapter Twenty

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

"Peace offering?" Yugi held a lollipop out to Kaiba; he looked meek and embarrassed. Kaiba took the candy, eying it warily. 

"A sucker? I figured you thought a little more of me than that." 

"Oh, no, that's not what I mean! I got it from a quarter machine on the way up; as it turns out, they don't sell olive branches in machines." 

"The way people treat each other around here, they should – it'd be a goldmine." 

Yugi laughed nervously. "Yeah, I probably deserved that. Can we talk?" 

"Are you going to get me drunk first?" Kaiba retorted. 

"Okay, so maybe that wasn't my best idea, but we didn't know what else to do!" Yugi said. "We just want to see things get fixed, and we – well, I thought if we got you drunk you'd loosen up and admit you had stronger feelings for Joey than you were letting on." 

Amazing that the only people who were going out of their way to fix the relationship were the ones that had nothing to do with it. "I don't like to be manipulated." 

"I know, and believe me, I got hell from Mokuba. But nothing can move you! I just thought you could use a little help." 

Kaiba turned away from Yugi, finding a spot on the far wall to focus on. "You shouldn't meddle in things that don't concern you. None of you should." 

"And I'm sorry, but if you and Joey would just… I mean, if Tea and I can get past our issues, I bet you and Joey can." 

"You and Tea are vastly different from me and Joey." 

"But the principle of the matter is…" Yugi paused. "Can I tell you a story?" 

"Is it about Joey?" Kaiba didn't want to hear any more stories about Joey. He'd heard enough. Yugi was right about one thing: pity had never moved his heart. 

But something much deeper did. 

"No," Yugi said. "It's about… well, me." 

"Go ahead." 

Yugi took a seat and stared at the floor, as though he was looking to it for help. "I've lost a lot of people: my parents, my grandpa, my…" Yugi took a deep breath. "I never got to say goodbye to any of them, either. One day they were there, and the next they were gone. For a while I even thought that Domino was cursed – so many bad things kept happening, so what other option was there? But you know, I came to a conclusion one night; a big group of us went out drinking, and I realized that giving up wasn't really an option. I missed a few opportunities, sure, had a few misfortunes, but I still had a lot going for me. You know what I did the next day?" 

"Well, you obviously didn't hang yourself." 

Yugi didn't seem to appreciate the humor. "No, I took Tea to dinner." 

"Success stories in the making," Kaiba said dryly. "Then life nearly ruins your marriage and denies you a family. Doesn't sound like you made it very far to me." 

"Sure it did. We fixed our problems, and we found out last week that we're going to get our family after all, so what I can I say?" Yugi smiled hopefully, and somewhere in the back of his mind, Kaiba made a note to congratulate Yugi. Later. "You stick out the rough patches, and things eventually smooth out. Things weren't perfect with Joey – " 

"You said you weren't going to talk about Joey." 

" – but you're still alive, and barely. You still have a chance, and I've never known you to pass up a good opportunity." 

"You're an optimist, and an idiot." 

"And what are you?" 

"A realist." 

Yugi shook his head. "I don't believe that. After all, they way Joey talked about you sometimes… well, it painted you in a flattering light. Almost makes you sound like a bit of an optimist yourself. I guess… I don't know. It was definitely different that you and Joey got together; I wouldn't have seen that coming a mile away. But you know, it was so different that I thought for once he'd just stop being… Well, like he is. Every time we talked, he sounded so damn happy… I guess I just assumed you were too." 

Kaiba refused to reply, and Yugi smiled. 

"I've outstayed my welcome. I wanted to apologize for what we did, and for yelling at you in your office – I had to no right to do that. I guess we were upset to see Joey so distraught…" He made his way for the door. 

"Yugi," Kaiba called out, and Yugi stopped. "Congratulations." 

"For…?" 

"The new baby." 

"Oh, thank you. Goodbye, Kaiba." Just when Kaiba was considering forgiving the petite male, Yugi added, "By the way, Bakura might be stopping by later." With that, he was gone. Kaiba growled low in his throat. 

Fine. He had a thing or two he wanted to say to Bakura anyway… 

--

"I'm not going to get in trouble as an accessory, am I?" 

Somehow, Kaiba liked the question – he preferred self-preservation to penance. He kept his eyes on the book that Mokuba had brought him. "No." 

"And you're not going to sue me or make my life a living hell just because I constantly piss you off?" 

"No." 

"Good – keep that in mind." 

"Why?" 

"Because you might lash out at me for what I'm about to tell you. Ready?" Bakura didn't wait for an answer. "Joey's in the hospital too; they have him on suicide watch." 

"What?" Kaiba demanded, head snapping up to look at Bakura. The white-haired male looked down so his hair covered his face, and his shoulders were shaking minutely. "Why would he…!" Sure, he had been pissed at Joey, but he didn't think… Despite all his better reasoning, he panicked. "He's okay, right? If they don't keep a good eye on him, I'll – " 

"Ah ha!" Bakura shouted triumphantly, and Kaiba watched in shock as Bakura looked up, grinning. "See? You DO care about Joey, even now." He sat down in a chair beside the bed. "I lied; Joey's crashing with us until he can find a new place to stay. Right now he's probably playing games with Tristan and Alex." 

Kaiba glared. Maybe he WOULD make Bakura's life a living hell after all… "Out." 

"Not until you listen to everything I have to say." 

"I'm going to call security." 

"I just want to tell you that I think you're both fools," Bakura announced. His words were rushed as he continued, "Anyone who would be as stubborn as you guys deserves the title. So you and Joey have some issues – deal. Tristan and I have been living together for eight years, and if we had split up every time we had a big fight, we wouldn't have lasted a month." 

"And what does this have to do with me?" Kaiba asked haughtily. 

"Because Tristan is a lot like Joey; why do you think they get along so well?" Bakura looked proud of himself. "I bet you're like me – never questioned what put a tent in your pants, right?" 

"Crude." 

"But true. Tristan and Joey aren't like that; they're two guys who got in on this whole game late. Hell, in high school they'd spend Friday nights watching porn and drooling over the girls. Quite lucky for us, I'd say, or they might have discovered each other instead. Granted, Tristan is a little more logical than Joey, and I'm sure some of the circumstances are different, but the issues sound the same. If you love him, it'll be worth working through the bad times." 

"And who says I love him?" 

Bakura smirked. "Just a hunch." 

"You have no proof to back that up," he snapped. 

"And you're impossible," Bakura replied. With a sigh he added, "Joey's trying to quit smoking." 

"Another story?" 

"May God strike me down if I'm lying," Bakura said seriously. "He's been cranky as hell because of it too. But he's never tried to quit before, and he won't tell us why he wants to now. I'm willing to bet you could." 

It had been one of their recurring arguments; Kaiba hated the taste, the smell, and he had never liked having either in his home. Joey had never offered to quit, though; he just endured Kaiba's snide remarks with a sense of humor. "I wouldn't have a clue." 

"I think he wants to prove he can do it – I think you make him want to, somehow. You know he doesn't hate you." 

"Why is this such a big deal for you?" Kaiba demanded. "Why are you trying so hard?" 

"Two reasons. One: Joey is my friend, and he was happy with you, even if he doesn't want to admit it. Two: metaphorically, I've been where you are. I've been frustrated and had to deal with a guy who was confused and afraid – you wouldn't believe how long it took me to get Tristan to leave the bedroom light. Now I can't get him to turn it off." Bakura smirked and continued, "Like I said, Tristan and Joey are like fruit from the same tree; they act tougher than they are. And you know, dealing with Tristan has taught me something important." 

When Bakura didn't elaborate, Kaiba swallowed his pride and asked, "Which was?" 

Bakura clicked his tongue. "I can't tell you that; it'd be cheating, and I don't really know the words to describe it, anyway. It's one of those things you have to learn on your own. Well, I'd better get the hell out of here before you live up to your threat and call security." He stood and looked around, stretching slightly. "This place looks awfully dull," he said exaggeratedly. "Maybe I should bring you a… hmm, a little toy to keep you occupied." 

_Toy?_ Kaiba blinked, and Bakura rolled his eyes. 

"Or maybe a pet or something." 

_Oh!_ He wanted Kaiba to talk to Joey. Kaiba mulled over the idea; good thing that Bakura didn't appear to be in any hurry to leave. 

It would be a lie to say that he hadn't been moved a bit by everything that he had been told – Mokuba, Yugi, and now Bakura; they all told him something that shed a little light on everything he thought he had understood. The more Kaiba thought about it, the more he hated it – the pity, the utter bullshit of it all… It wasn't something he needed, something he wanted. It bothered him that he'd put himself in a position to be hurt, it bothered him that Joey was fucked up enough to hurt them both, and it bothered him that he cared at all. 

What bothered him more than any of that, though, was that he wanted Joey back where he belonged, and Kaiba had come to see that place as with him. He had never regarded anyone like that… except Mokuba, but that wasn't the same thing. 

It was a tough call to make, and in the end, Kaiba wasn't even sure if he made the right one. 

"I think I could use the entertainment; Mokuba won't bring me any work, and they won't let me leave for a few more days." 

Bakura grinned. "Then it's a date; tomorrow at three I'll bring you a good plaything. Good luck, Kaiba." 

**-end chapter twenty-**

* * *

**notes**  
Many thanks to Sarasusa, not only for beta'ing, but for pointing out the whole play on words that "sucker" opened up, which had completely gone over my head. ^^; I didn't exploit it very well, but it made me laugh. 

So I know that Yuugi's mom is in the show, but they cut her out in the dub, so I went with the most feasible reason for that I could muster -- his parents must have died. So forgiveth me. *bow* ^^ 

The story behind why Bakura calls Joey a toy -- in the original version of chapter sixteen, Joey didn't know he was going out with Tristan and Bakura; there was a scene where they stopped by Kaiba Corp to pick him up. So in this scene Bakura literally walked into Kaiba's office while he was talking to Marianne, announced this, and made the offhand comment "Don't worry, we'll have your playtoy back by midnight." Well, at this point Marianne found out, but her knowing isn't conductive to the plot at all, and neither was the entire scene -- I just liked seeing Bakura being a sneaky little punk. Anyway, so when I originally wrote Bakura referring to Joey as a toy here, Kaiba knew what he was talking about. Obviously, once that went, so did Kaiba's understanding of the term. 

On Yugi and Tea... I liked Yugi's story -- it made me smile. I've been entertaining the idea of writing a one-shot from Tea's point of view, given that all these things keep happening around her, but she's never really given a part in the story; very odd, given that she's the reason behind Yugi leaving, and Yugi was part of the reason that Joey left... It's very interesting, methinks. But that might just me. 

* * *

**..::review responses::..**  
Okay, due to FF.net cracking down on... some new policy involving internet language, I wasn't sure if these were okay or not. 

However, I couldn't NOT reply, so I simply put them on my site. *bow* I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm a good kid, lol -- I try to avoid trouble at most turns. ^^;; I have all the responses saved in .txt files (because I am a total dweeb like that. ^^;), so I'm slowly going to be going through here and moving them from here to the site. Just FYI in case anyone actually finds them interesting. o.O You never know -- it could happen. 

So responses are here (sans spacing): http:// www.geocities.com / enjoythehiatus / stories / le / currentreviews.html 


	22. Chapter TwentyOne

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One**

There was shouting in the hallway. 

"Bakura, I'm gonna kick your scrawny ass; I can't do this! Yugi, talk some sense into him! No, wait, what are you – " 

Kaiba assumed by the sudden silence that someone was covering Joey's mouth. There weren't many ways to shut Joey up once he was riled, and that was the most effective. After a moment Joey was literally shoved into the hospital room, Bakura and Yugi at his back. Bakura winked and Yugi gave them a thumbs up before the door slammed shut. Kaiba heard the head nurse start to scold them. Between Mokuba and the nurses, he imagined that Yugi was a master at getting yelled at. 

"Why am I here?" Joey demanded, turning Kaiba's focus from what was going on outside the room to what was facing him inside it. "I'm willing to bet it was your idea. I don't work for you anymore; I don't come at your command." Amusing: tough as he was trying to sound, Joey wouldn't look directly at him; he was obviously edgy, and his hands were jammed into his pockets. He was the picture of insecurity. 

"Hello to you too," Kaiba said derisively, looking at the hospital food that had been left for him. He'd eaten Yugi's 'peace offering' earlier; he was hoping to avoid the hospital food. "Actually, it was Bakura's idea, but I do have some questions for you." 

"Well, I don't have any answers," Joey snapped. "Why would I have anything to say to you now?" 

The bickering reminded Kaiba of old times, back before he had ever left Domino. All he had to do was be a little more condescending and make a few offhand dog comments, and he probably wouldn't know the difference… except that this time around he cared, and then he hadn't. It felt odd to make that emotional distinction. "Because I may have judged you unfairly," he explained, his voice painfully even. Whether he cared or not, he still hated acting passive when in hostile company. "I've heard a little of your story from Yugi, I've gotten an earful from Bakura, and now I want to hear the whole thing from you so I can once and for all decide what to do about you." 

The words seemed to take the fight out of Joey, and his eyes seemed focused on his toes. "I thought all our decisions were made." 

"Maybe they are; this is a chance to make sure." 

It took Joey a minute, but he finally took a seat at the farthest corner of the bed – it was surprising that he chose to sit there rather than in the chair. "Well, I was born in Domino on January – " 

"Don't be a wise-ass," Kaiba interrupted. He was being serious; he didn't want stupid humor. "You know what I mean." 

Joey cringed. "Right. Well, it's like…" He took a deep breath. It was almost like he was afraid of his words. "Do you know the only people who always stood by my side are my friends? Well, and my sister." 

"Is that why you answer to Yugi like a lovesick schoolgirl?" Kaiba's words were more barbed than he meant them. 

"Not quite how I would have put it…" Joey frowned. "But yeah, I suppose so; I'm worried one day he's just gonna leave too." 

Kaiba was quick to criticize. "That's ridiculous; if he's wasted so much time and breath being your friend, why would he ever stop?" It bothered him that to his ears, the criticism almost sounded more like comfort. 

With a snort and a shrug Joey replied, "My dad dealt with me longer, and on my eighteenth birthday all I got was an ultimatum: start paying rent or get the hell out. Yeah, great guy; spends most my life being the skeleton in my closet, then tosses me out like trash as soon as he can." 

Kaiba had stories that made Joey's life sound like a fairy tale. He rolled his eyes. "So you had a bad relationship with your father; that's supposed to make it okay for you to ruin your chances with everyone else? If everyone with a bad family life did that, the human race would be doomed." 

"I don't think we're ones to be discussing the fate of the human race. And besides, my dad was just the beginning of a long line of rejections," Joey dramatized, his words gaining momentum, becoming less restrained. "There was a girl in my first year of college that told me I was a great guy to have a good time with, but I wasn't someone to settle down with – and over time, there were many more that agreed. Then there was the whole ten-month marriage fiasco. That just confirmed it for me; the only good thing that came from that was that we stayed friends." 

"You've told me this," Kaiba said impatiently. "The bad-relationship excuse. If I recall, we got past that before, and were doing a pretty damn good job." 

"That's the problem. Do you know what it's like to get burned all the time, Kaiba? After a while you get used to it, like if everything's going too good, then something is wrong – it just doesn't feel right. I'm sure there's a fancy psychological reason for that, and knowing you, you probably know the name of it and who discovered it. But it's…" Joey sounded almost wistful as he continued, "All I really want is something stable, something simple. I want to wake up and understand why I am where I am; I want a love that's not going to fail me the morning after. I just… I feel too old to be having such doubts. No one else I know does. I feel like I should understand life by now." 

"You're a dreamer," Kaiba retorted. "There are old men on their death beds who still have questions. It's a fool's hope to want so many guarantees; it doesn't happen, especially when you start half the fights you claim to not want." 

"Well, I figured that you were going to drop me sooner or later; I was just hurrying it along. If relationships with women were confusing, you were ten times more, and I'd rather walk away with my dignity somewhat intact than hope for the best and be dropped." 

Kaiba sighed. He was an idiot for caring so much about Joey and all his messed-up ideas. There were about twenty replies he could come up with for that, but in the end, only one conveyed his annoyance. "I don't appreciate being clumped into your generalizations." 

Joey looked at Kaiba, and they stared at each other for a minute – a silent battle of wills. Finally Joey looked away, down to his hands. He looked back up to Kaiba. "Does that mean I screwed this up?" 

"More than you can possibly imagine." Before Joey could say anything, Kaiba continued, "And don't you dare start pitying yourself for it; you love to play the victim in these little games of yours, and I want nothing to do with it – it's pathetic. If it weren't self-inflicted, I might not mind, but all of this is mostly your fault." He had just fallen short of yelling, more emotion seeping into his words than he intended. He didn't mean to get so irate, but it had happened naturally. 

"Mostly?" 

_Good catch._ Kaiba took his tone down a notch. "Yes, mostly," he admitted. He hated to say it, but… "I probably could have let some of those fights go." 

"No," Joey said. "I knew they would get you going, and if you had ever given in, I just would've pushed harder. It's always been easy to fight with you." 

"Thanks," Kaiba said sarcastically. "But unlike you, I didn't go into this relationship thinking about the fights." 

"What do you think of?" 

"I probably didn't; if I had, I would've known it was stupid from the get-go." 

Joey stood. "Sorry," he said softly. He started for the door. 

_I didn't tell you to go, you idiot._ "Leaving again?" Kaiba sneered. "Is that all you can do?" 

"What do you want to me to do?" Joey erupted, his back to Kaiba. "You've scolded me, told me exactly what I've done wrong, but you haven't told me what you want from me." He turned, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Kaiba. "I've expressed myself using all the words I can think of, so maybe it's your turn to share that little bit of information." 

Kaiba spared a small smile – what else was he supposed to do when he was amused? It was quite an outburst, and it gave him the perfect opening without sounding too desperate. "I can do that all in one word." 

"And that is?" 

Kaiba looked at him solemnly and said, "Stay." He watched Joey go through a range of emotions: surprise, confusion, fear… 

Finally Joey turned away, focusing on the wall. After a moment he managed to ask, "Why? After all the shit I just said, and all I've said and done to you, why would you want that?" 

Kaiba shrugged. "Damned if I know. All I know is that you need to be back where you belong." _I need you back where you belong._

"And that's with you?" 

"It could be," Kaiba said. "It's up to you at this point." Just like when he had first posed the idea of a relationship to Joey, he couldn't push the issue in one direction, wouldn't make up Joey's mind for him. 

The blond gently pinched the bridge of his nose and returned to the bed, only closer to Kaiba, near his knees. "It was much easier to deal with you when we were enemies." 

"Would you rather be enemies? I can do that." Even scarier, Kaiba was willing; it would be too easy, just like when he had left Joey leave for Seattle without a fight. He would never forget how to be the world's enemy… but he was tired of that role. It was wearisome, and at that moment he just wanted to be able to give a damn without so much drama. 

"No…" Joey sighed and stood – all his movement was starting to make Kaiba dizzy. "This will probably be the lamest thing I've ever said, but… I gotta take some time to think about it." 

_Think about what? What is there to think about?_ The whole issue seemed pretty cut-and-dried to Kaiba, but all he could do was nod; it wasn't as though he really had much of choice. "That's fine." 

"I…" Joey crossed his arms over his chest and turned away. "You have no idea how much I'd like to crawl onto your bed, kiss you and pretend this could all be solved that easily," he said softly. "But I know better than that, and so do you. I just… I'll just talk to you later, okay?" 

"Okay." 

Joey was right – Kaiba knew that it wouldn't be that simple. After all, they had tried to hide the problems under sex plenty of times, and look where it got them. A part of him wanted to say something cheesy, maybe something old-movie-like, something to let Joey know he would be patient. The rest of him didn't want to waste the sentiment, especially when he wasn't so sure if he really COULD be so patient. He'd never had to wait for anyone before. 

Damn sentiments – they made his chest tighten, his stomach flop in nervousness, all as he watched Joey head for the door. 

"Bye," the blond said, glancing over his shoulder at Kaiba for an instant before he left, and then Kaiba was alone in the room again. He heard Bakura and Yugi start asking questions in the hall, heard Joey snap at them. Kaiba just stared at the door. 

That hadn't been what he had expected. He thought Joey would give him a resolute answer, thought that he would either stay or go, and life would go on. Instead he found himself with something so irresolute that he wasn't sure if he should start moving on without knowing, or if he had to sit in some emotional pause-mode, waiting to know what was going to happen next. 

Kaiba hated that prospect. Waiting around made him feel pathetic, like he wasn't capable of coming to a solution on his own. Made him feel stripped of power. 

"How'd it go?" Bakura asked from the doorway. Kaiba hadn't even seen him enter. 

"You can't guess?" 

"I'm trying to be in denial – what are the chances that he's just angry because he didn't get any?" 

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "He's going to think about it," he replied testily. 

"Oh. How long?" 

"I don't know." 

"Do you intend to wait for him?" 

That question hit the nail right on the head. 

And Kaiba didn't have an answer. 

**-end chapter twenty-one-**

* * *

**notes**  
Many thanks to Sarasus for beta'ing. 

So here's the story -- I changed the last chapter of this (and the next chapter) at the last minute; its really quite funny, if not a little fucked up, lol. ;; It makes me slightly nervous, though, because the fact that I NEEDED to change it came out of nowhere. 

Looking back on it, I'm glad I did. 

So... one more update left. OO I'm going to get the last chapter and the epilogue in the same update, because it seems silly to be to do them seperately. But wow. One. x.x

* * *

Again, sorry for the inconvenience, but reviewer reponses are at: http: www.geocities.com / enjoythehiatus / stories / le / currentreviews.html (without spaces) 


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Three weeks. 

It had been three weeks since the day Joey had told him he'd think about things, and all Kaiba had left to remind him of the accident were some faint scars. Those didn't bother him so much. 

Mokuba was preparing to leave that evening, and there Kaiba was, sitting in the little café, talking to Mokuba about what they would do when the holidays came around. "Seto, are you sure you don't want me to come here? I mean, traveling halfway across the world for a month… Won't that be bad for the company?" he asked. 

"It'll be fine; it survived fifteen years; a month won't kill it." 

"Well, if you're sure, then that sounds great. Man, I can't wait until you meet Mei; she's excited to meet you." 

"I'm sure you've had nothing but good things to say," Seto replied, raising an eyebrow. Leave it to Mokuba to exaggerate his virtues to some innocent girl. 

"Of course." Mokuba grinned, and a waiter came over to take their orders. As Mokuba ordered, Seto spaced out. Three weeks… 

"Seto. Seto!" Kaiba looked up, and it was Mokuba's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I ordered for you – are you sure you'll be okay when I leave?" 

"Of course – I'll finally be able to take two steps without you babying me." 

Mokuba smirked and said dramatically, "Well, maybe next time you'll think before you go and ruin your car, okay? Just remember these past few weeks every time you even consider it." 

Kaiba had to chuckle at the admonition. "Fine, fine." 

"And no more drinking." 

"Alright." 

"And you should ban Yugi from Kaiba Corp." 

Kaiba didn't respond to that – it wasn't a half bad idea. But he didn't think about Yugi too much; since getting out of the hospital, he hadn't seen him, nor Bakura. That was for the best, Kaiba supposed. He also hadn't seen Joey, but he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 

More than once Kaiba had been more willing to give up than to wait. He couldn't remember ever waiting so long for such a simple answer, and he hated that it was so hard for Joey to decide. At the same time, he was a little proud that Joey was taking so long, just to consider him… Then there was the possibility that thinking had just been Joey's excuse to get out of the room, to get away from Kaiba. Whenever Kaiba thought like that – and was foolish enough to share his thoughts – Mokuba would remind him to keep hope. 

When had Kaiba's life been so dominated by faith? 

They made it through lunch normally, eating more than talking. Well, at first, Kaiba did about the same amount of talking as eating, which wasn't much in either case. Somewhere in the back of his head, he remembered Joey constantly trying to convince him to eat more, warning him that he was going to get sick if he didn't keep a good diet. 

He ended up eating all his food. 

"I'm driving," Mokuba said as Kaiba paid for lunch; the elder scowled at the announcement as he handed over his money. 

"You can't keep me off the road forever," he protested. 

"I can as long as I'm here," Mokuba replied, and Kaiba shrugged – it wasn't worth fighting, and he didn't particularly have the will to. If Mokuba was that eager to take care of him, who was he to say no? Besides, as much as he abhorred how careful Mokuba had been, he'd miss it when it was gone. He always did. 

Mokuba went into the driver's seat the second they reached the car. 

"So," Mokuba drawled, starting the engine, "have any plans for today?" 

"No, why?" 

"Oh, nothing," he replied. "Just making conversation." 

Kaiba sat in silence for the rest of the drive – there were things on his mind more pressing than his lack of plans. First, there was Mokuba leaving. It was always hard to see the boy – man, Kaiba once again had to remind himself – leave, even if he knew that he'd see Mokuba again in a few months. 

And then there was always a spot in Kaiba's thoughts for Joey – not that the spot was always a good one. He'd made good use of Joey's 'thinking time' and done a bit of thinking himself. Admittedly, he wanted Joey back; he was finally able to tell himself that without cringing. He could even manage to tell Mokuba. He knew that the slim chance that he and Joey would end up back together rode on rational thought, and he should have been happy that Joey was taking so much time. But more irrationally – emotionally – he wanted Joey to hurry up and give him an answer so they could get on with life… Whether that was together or not was a completely different topic. 

"Hey, Seto," Mokuba said, interrupting his musings, "I forgot to get some things for the flight – think I could just drop you off at the front gate?" 

"That's fine." 

"Great! I'll see you in a bit then." Kaiba looked around and realized that they had stopped at the gates. He smiled weakly – he hadn't realized that he had been so lost in thought. 

"Bye." Kaiba was surprised by how quickly Mokuba left, as though he was in a hurry to go somewhere… or simply to get away. How odd. Kaiba punched in the security code at the gate, noticed that the security guard was asleep at his post; Kaiba made a mental note to fire him later. But more importantly, he noticed something very out of place on the estate… 

There was someone sitting on his front porch. 

Even from a distance Kaiba could tell who it was, just by the way the guest was leaning back on the steps, the shifting of his legs as he waited, the mop of blond hair that he kept shoving back from his face... Kaiba remembered all those little impatient motions too well. His step faltered for a second, and he almost paused… Thankfully, he regained his composure quickly, walking calmly until he was just a foot or two away from Joey. In turn Joey looked up at him. The blond was flipping his lighter in his hands. 

"Heard you got your stitches out this morning," Joey said. 

"Yeah. I had heard you were trying to quit – I take it that didn't work out?" Kaiba asked, gesturing towards the lighter with a nod of his head. 

"Ah… Yeah, I didn't – I guess I couldn't find a better way to handle nerves. It's been…" Joey took a deep breath and flicked the lighter on and off one last time before shoving it back in his pocket and asking, "Can we talk, or are you busy?" 

"I have time. Come in." It felt weird, having to invite Joey into the house where they had once lived together, short time as it had been. Kaiba walked up the steps past Joey, and he frowned at the relief he felt when Joey followed him without even a moment's hesitation. 

Despite himself, he couldn't help being a little hopeful. 

They went into the kitchen, and Kaiba got a glass of water as Joey took a seat at the table in the corner. "Thirsty?" Kaiba offered, and Joey shook his head. Kaiba nodded and took a seat across from the blond. They stared at each other silently for a second. Kaiba couldn't help but remember the last conversation they'd had in the kitchen – so long ago it seemed. 

_"What happened to the good ol' Kaiba, CEO with a heart of ice?" _

"I never had a 'heart of ice'." 

"I know." 

Kaiba wondered if Joey still knew it, or if he had forgotten. Joey was just watching him, not speaking; he didn't even look like he was going to move to speak. "How's Alex?" 

"Good; he keeps asking when we're coming back." Joey smiled nervously and looked down at the table, tapping his fingers on it rhythmically. 

"You haven't been basing your decisions on a toddler, have you?" 

"No, not at all," Joey assured him. "I've been seriously thinking – you know, on my own." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, still not quite looking up at Kaiba – sometimes he looked just a little past him, but mostly, he stared at the table. "We started circling each the second you came back, huh? Looking back on it all, it's sort of funny. Even when we were together, the circling didn't stop." 

"It came naturally." 

Joey smiled. "Yeah, it did. But you know, even with all the fighting, I was happiest with you. In retrospect, I guess everyone was right to tell me I was stupid." He gave a little humorless laugh. "I was. But when we used to lay in bed, I'd tell myself to enjoy it while it lasted. It never occurred to me that it could just last, especially considering how completely weird it was. In the end… it's all very ironic." 

"Why?" Kaiba asked. Joey finally looked up at him; their eyes met, and it surprised Kaiba how serious he looked, how the smile was gone from his face. 

"Because back when you left, when we were 17, I actually celebrated, and now I'm miserable without you." 

Kaiba had to remind himself to breathe. Still, he wasn't about to fold just because it sounded good. Feeling miserable didn't count for much; what really mattered was intent, and Joey hadn't relayed what Kaiba needed to know: "Exactly what do you want from all this?" 

"Isn't that obvious?" Joey asked, frowning a little. 

"Spell it out for me – I don't feel like translating today." 

"I want to try this again," Joey said, biting his lower lip. "Seriously – no more starting fights, or anything like that." 

"So you suggest that I should stick my neck out for you?" 

"If you want to." 

"Don't think about what I want right now," Kaiba snapped. "I know what I want, I need to know what you want." 

It took a minute, but Joey finally said softly, "You." 

"Why?" 

"Because…" Joey sighed, closed his eyes. For a second Kaiba wondered if he had pushed too hard, if Joey had given up, but after another moment the blond's eyes opened again, and he spoke firmly. "Because I love you, and I'm willing to take a few risks for that. I want to make it work instead of waiting for it end. I want to wake up in the morning and not wonder if I'll leave that day." 

It was Kaiba's turn to close his eyes. The ball was back in his court… and even he couldn't find another way to argue with that, another question to push – he didn't know what else he could possibly ask for. He could spend hours interrogating associates, enemies, and he could argue better than anyone he knew… 

But even he was finding it hard to argue with the instincts of his heart. 

"Don't screw up this time," he warned, his eyes still closed. "Do you understand?" He looked up to see Joey nodding… smiling. 

"Yeah, I get it." 

"Good, because if I have to say it again, you won't have another chance." He stood and crossed over to Joey, pausing before leaning down to kiss him softly. It was something he'd been dying to do for so long, something he had missed. It felt nice, familiar, comforting, heartwarming… Maybe that was what coming home was supposed to feel like. Joey's hand tentatively traced over Kaiba's cheek, then up through Kaiba's hair to pull him closer, deepening the kiss. 

Kaiba was disappointed that it had to end. 

"God I missed you," Joey breathed, his hand falling to rest on Kaiba's shoulder, his eyes still closed. "You wouldn't believe how much." 

_Yes, I would._ Kaiba moved to go back to his seat but remained standing, and Joey looked at him curiously. "We still need to talk about a few things." _And we're not going to get anything accomplished while I'm close enough to touch you._

"Oh, yeah. So… how do you want to work this?" 

"Work what?" 

"Well, I'm still stayin' with Tristan. Should I go out and look for an apartment? We could go back to the whole commuting thing; that seemed to work pretty well." 

"No," Kaiba interrupted. "It's also inconvenient. Why would we go backwards from where we were?" 

"Just checking, I guess." Joey sighed, and despite what they had resolved, he still looked nervous. "Did you… Did you miss me?" 

Kaiba blinked. Of all the dumb things to ask… "Are you an idiot? Do you think that I'd even bother with you with if I didn't?" 

Joey smiled, and shook his head. "No, I guess not." 

"Good. I still have some work to do, so I'm going to assume we're done for now." Kaiba hesitated over his next words. They felted a bit rushed, but he'd spent three weeks waiting for Joey to come to him, and now that he had, he wasn't looking to waste time. "I expect you'll be back this evening?" 

"You mean… Yeah. Tonight's fine." Joey stood, stretching and yawning. "I guess that means I'm gonna go get my stuff together, tell the kid the news. He's gonna be thrilled." Kaiba just nodded – he wasn't sure what to say about that, and he would be damned before he admitted that he had missed Alex too – it was just a little too strange to say. It felt very domestic. 

Joey started to leave, and Kaiba realized that there was something he had forgotten to say in all his haste to make sure Joey was really coming back. In one movement Kaiba caught him by the wrist and pulled him back, wrapping his arms around the blond's waist. That was another thing he had missed doing: holding Joey, taking him by surprise. 

It was odd to have missed so much. 

Joey didn't move for a second, but after a second he loosened up a little in Kaiba's embrace. "Need something?" His hands covered Kaiba's – not pulling them away, just holding them. 

"I just needed to add something." There was a nervous tension in Kaiba's stomach. It was ridiculous – he only had words to say; he shouldn't be getting worked up like a teenager. He leaned close to Joey's ear and whispered, "You're not the only one in love here. Keep that in mind." 

He heard a soft sound – perhaps an intake of air, or a slight gasp – pass Joey's lips, and it was another moment where they didn't move. He could practically hear the gears turning as Joey tried to think of a response. In the end, he liked the one Joey came up with. 

"I'll be back." 

Kaiba held him one more second, repressing the smile that tugged at the edges of his mouth as he let Joey go. He only had one thing to say to that. "I'll be here." 

**-end chapter twenty-two-**

* * *

(everything is at the end of the epilogue) 


	24. Epilogue

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Epilogue**

"Seto!" 

Kaiba groaned and rolled over, burying his head in his pillow. Joey curled against his back, arms wrapping around Kaiba's waist; breath splayed over his shoulder, warm and moist. 

It was a nice position for Kaiba to have gotten some more sleep, if not for the sudden rude intrusion. Kaiba heard a frustrated grunt, and before he could think to react to that, there was something was bouncing heavily on the bed just to his left. "Seto! Wake up!" 

Kaiba groaned and sat up enough to grab Alex by the waist, pulling the kid down so he was sitting beside where Kaiba was lying. He closed his eyes and curled back into his blankets. How was Joey still asleep after that? "What is it?" Kaiba asked grumpily, resisting a shiver as he felt Joey's feet brush his ankles. Damn cold feet. 

"'nita told me to say that Mokuba is here. Is Mokuba your baby?" Kaiba resisted another groan – who the hell was Nita, and exactly what was the kid talking about? Kaiba blinked slightly, trying to translate the message, half asleep as he was. 

Oh. The housekeeper had told him to tell Kaiba that… His eyes flew open. 

Mokuba? 

He looked at his bedside clock. Ten AM. 

"Shit!" 

It was ten AM, and Kaiba realized immediately what the date was. December third. 

Mokuba had decided a few months ago that he wanted to visit Domino for the holidays again. He swore up and down that he missed the place, and that he wanted Kaiba to meet Mei, but he also wanted to show her his hometown. Also, he had pointed out that since Kaiba was living with Joey again, that it would be rude to leave home for the holidays. 

There was that home thing again. But instead of scorning the word, Kaiba agreed with it. Despite his hurry, he found himself watching Joey on the bed, snoring peacefully into his pillow. There had been a few rough spots, but they had been living together in relative peace since that day… 

He didn't have time for reflection. 

He sat up, half-heartedly kicking Joey to wake him as he looked at Alex. "Is there a girl here too?" 

"I dunno," Alex said, shrugging exaggeratedly. "Is Mokuba your baby?" he repeated. 

"No, he's my brother, remember? Daddy told you about him." Kaiba said patronizingly; he needed to get out of bed, but first he needed to get dressed – neither a feat that would be easily accomplished with Alex present. "Can you go tell Mokuba hi, and that we'll be down in a minute?" 

"Okay!" With that Alex hopped off the bed and left the room; the door was only half-closed behind the toddler, but Kaiba didn't care. He practically jumped out of bed and looked around for some clothes. He found a pair of pants somewhere near the bed. Damn it, he didn't have time for a shower, and he still smelled faintly of sweat. He should have known better than to stay up so late when he had to be awake early. 

"Out of bed," Kaiba urged, yanking on the blanket. Joey grunted and pulled it back. Kaiba heaved a sigh and gave up; he'd just have to explain to Mokuba that Joey was a complete bum who couldn't be bothered to wake up. 

"Get back in bed," Joey grumbled, but he didn't show any other sign of life. Kaiba rolled his eyes and pulled on a shirt, buttoning it as he left the room; he had it done by the time he neared the living room, and he smoothed out the horrible case of bed-head he was sure to have. He took a deep breath and entered the living room. Mokuba was on the couch, and the girl Kaiba presumed was Mei was sitting beside him. Alex was on the floor, playing with some trucks and eyeing the guests warily. Mokuba looked up and smiled at Kaiba's entrance. 

"I'm sorry," Kaiba said sincerely, feeling more like he was entering a meeting late than greeting his younger brother. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you to get here." 

"Not one bit," Mokuba answered, still grinning as Kaiba took a seat on the loveseat directly across from the couch where Mokuba was seated with Mei. "When you didn't answer your phone, I called Tristan, and we decided that we'd introduce everyone to Mei before coming here." Kaiba cringed, reminded that not only was he two hours late, but he'd made a bad first impression with Mokuba's girlfriend. It wasn't shaping up to be a very good morning… As if reading his thoughts, Mokuba said, "Don't worry, Seto; we had a good time. And damn, have you seen Téa recently? She's huge! She's got to be carrying a litter or something." 

"Don't say that to her face," Kaiba warned; he'd seen Joey suffer for saying less. 

Mokuba just laughed. "Well, anyway, Seto, this is Mei – Mei, Seto." The girl beside Mokuba smiled and inclined her head a bit; she certainly looked as shy as Mokuba had described her. Kaiba reached across the coffee table to shake her hand – she took the invitation, and despite her demeanor, she had a firm grip. 

"Pleased to meet you," he said. 

"And you," she replied softly, smiling. Kaiba nodded and released her hand, leaning back in his chair. He watched in vague amusement as Mokuba leaned over and said something to her quietly, his words foreign. They were just about the picture of a healthy relationship – Mokuba kissed her cheek, and she beamed. 

Kaiba would never admit it, but it was a heartwarming sight. 

"So," Mokuba said, "I see the kid's okay, but where's his dad?" 

Alex looked up almost immediately and chirped, "Daddy's lazy." 

Kaiba snickered. "He's – " 

"Right here," Joey finished, yawning as he made his way to the loveseat; he dropped beside Kaiba and scratched his head. Kaiba raised an eyebrow at his appearance; he obviously hadn't bothered to get dressed, just pulled on his t-shirt and slacks from the night before, and his hair was disheveled. The only thing worse than that was that he practically landed on top of Kaiba, and promptly curled against the brunet, closing his eyes. "You could've told me why you were gettin' up," he complained blearily. Kaiba scowled and tried to covertly shove Joey upright; he wasn't up for creating a scene in front of Mokuba and Mei – and they were already smirking and laughing quietly. 

"Were you two up late last night?" Mokuba teased. 

Without a moment's pause Joey yawned, "Yes." Kaiba tried to fight the blush as Mokuba's laughter intensified – that wasn't something Joey had to tell them about! But Mokuba looked at him, and there was something in his eyes that made Kaiba pause, embarrassment forgotten as he tried to dissect the emotion. Mokuba almost looked relieved. 

"I see you two are doing just fine," he said with a smile, and Kaiba nodded. They were. They still argued, usually every couple of weeks. Sometimes it was something small, like Kaiba complaining about Joey's smoking, or Joey bitching about how much time Kaiba spent at work. That one usually turned into a bigger fight, because Kaiba would accuse Joey of sounding like some disgruntled housewife, and it always snowballed from there. Kaiba was suspected that they fought because it was the only way to keep regular tensions to a minimum; the more little arguments they had, the fewer big ones. 

There had never been any explosive fights, and despite the couple of times that Joey had retired to a guestroom for a night or two – which was usually the best move – there were obvious steps forward too. Joey had picked up on calling him 'Seto', and they stopped using sex as a way to make up when they DID fight. And even though they fought, there were more good times than bad. 

For the most part, they just enjoyed each other. Kaiba always felt slightly ridiculous, even when he only said it in his inner monologue, but they were in love, and in the end, they both knew it. 

It made the petty arguments worth it. 

"So anyway," Joey said, sounding more awake than he had, "Welcome home, Mokuba." 

_Welcome home…_

Kaiba smiled slightly and relented, giving up on making Joey get up and instead putting an arm around the blond's shoulders. He half-listened as Joey and Mokuba related gossip and news about all that had gone on in Domino in the past six months. Téa's pregnancy, the Game Shop's business, Joey's work there, Duke and Serenity's plans for a family, preschools… None of the chitchat caught Kaiba's attention. Instead, he was thinking over his own story of Domino. 

It had only been a little more than a year since he'd returned, and he'd felt empty when he returned. He'd hated it at the time, but despite everything he'd expected, he ended up feeling like he was at home. It was a nice feeling – even he wouldn't deny that. 

He closed his eyes, listening to the banter in the living room, his arm wrapping a little tighter around Joey as the blond shifted against him. He felt Joey's hand on his back, tracing little circles as he talked. Kaiba smiled, but just a little. 

Maybe it wasn't such a bad morning after all. 

**-end-**

* * *

**notes**  
A huge thanks to Sarasusa, for stickin' this beta thing out for the last half of the story (and living through the unbeta'd first half, lol) -- I swear you guys have no idea how much I think she helped to story.   
Also, sankyuu to anyone and everyone who listened to me bitch and moan about the story, or offered thoughts that helped. (lol, very many of you, I assure you. )  
Finally, very big thanks to everyone who read the story (even if they read two lines of it and hated it, lol). bow You guys, seriously, can't believe how much I appreciate it. Anyway, enough blubbering, hehe, and onto the actual notes... 

Of which, I don't have many. 

So I guess it's spring or something, but I have a case of the happily-ever-afters right now. But the epilogue gave me hell -- there must've been twenty. (okay... maybe 4. Whatever different versions of the ending, lol (all happy, though, and at least two that included sex. oO) Originally Kaiba was actually going to China for the holidays, and there were three different ways I was working that epilogue -- one version was the morning of, and there were two versions of the night before. Then I gave up on that, and there was an epilogue with Kaiba just sort of lying in bed thinking. That didn't work, mostly because it left a lot of loose ends, and it was hard to tell that everyone else was alive and well in that situation. Eventually it all warped into this -- which still leaves plenty of loose ends, but at least gives you the impression that everyone's doing pretty well, eh? 

It's... very, very weird, lol -- somehow, when I started this story, I never expected to finish it. It just never, ever occured to me that I actually could... but you know, I'm happy. I'm super!glad it to turned out. 

And... well, I'm out. I think -- like before, lol -- I'm going to stick a bunch of random cuts & such up at my site, because that stuff amuses me, so if you want to look at any of that, have a good one. 

Thanks!

* * *

**..::review responses::..**  
As it has been, it shall be : www.geocities.com / enjoythehiatus / stories / le / currentreviews.html (without spaces) 


End file.
